Cloud Nine
by badluck777
Summary: When Aino Minako takes time off work to attend Mako's wedding, she must also face her changing feelings for an old friend. Will everything turn out the same disastrous way as they did during the Silver Millennium? PGSM ReiMina. Dropped
1. Prologue

To the kind readers who opened this window: Looking back on it now, this first attempt at fanfiction was a total embarrassment. And it's also likely to be discontinued. So if you're up for a laugh at the horrible use of random Japanese desu and the "plz leave a review!!! Arigatou~" tendencies, by all means be my guest.

Cloud Nine

Minako's eyes widened in disbelief, "Really?"

She automatically gripped the telephone receiver harder as she heard a shaky laughter from the other side of the line.

"Is it too sudden? I've been wondering myself, but you know Motoki…"

"No, of course not, Makoto," Minako quickly corrected herself. "I was just taken by surprise, that's all. Anyhow, congratulations!"

"Thanks, Minako-chan." There was a slight pause. "So, I know this is really a short notice and you have a busy schedule and all, but we would really appreciate it if you can make it to the wedding."

"Of course I will be there. I just have to get my manager to work something out. I'll update you guys as soon as possible."

"That's great, Minako-chan. Hey, wait Usagi, I'm not done talking yet…" Makoto's voice trailed away as her princess tried to grab the phone from her.

"But you've been talking for the past fifteen minutes!" Minako heard Usagi whine and her smile broadened. She could imagine her princess jumping up and down in the room in protest.

Finally the commotion seemed to die down and she heard a low grunt from Makoto as Usagi took possession of the phone.

Minako, however, didn't react fast enough and the next thing she knew she heard the all-too-familiar, overenthusiastic scream of her name.

"MINAKO-CHAN!"

Minako winced hard but couldn't suppress her smile. "Hi Usagi-chan."

"Oh my God we haven't heard from you in sooooo long," Usagi emphasized.

There was a mumble from Makoto in the background, saying that she saw the idol everyday on TV.

"Yeah but that's different, ne Minako-chan?"

Minako sighed, "Hai, I know I should have called but my schedule has been really busy lately. And whenever I get some time off it's always past midnight in Japan."

"But that's okay!" Usagi said in her cheerful voice. "Cuz we're going to be all together again at Mako-chan's wedding and have lots of fun! I can't wait for…"

There was a slight knock on her hotel door. "Minako? Are you ready?"

"Be there in a minute," Minako called back in English.

"Sorry Usagi-chan, but I have to go. It was nice talking to you. And tell the others I said hi."

"I will. Oh, and good luck at work!"

Usagi shut her, or rather, Makoto's cell phone and smiled. "So that's two down and one more to go."

Makoto sat down on her designated chair in the Crown and sighed. She and Usagi had miraculously ran into each other nearby and decided to visit the Crown like in the old days. Of course, with Motoki running the place now Makoto had always been there once a week, but visiting with Usagi somehow felt different.

It reminded her of their senshi lives, the adventure, the thrill. Sometimes Makoto wished they still fought youmas. Nearing the age of twenty, she occasionally got empty feelings inside her, but she dared not raise the subject with her friends, knowing that they felt the same way.

"But we sent Rei-chan a letter three weeks ago and she still hasn't replied. God knows why those remote shrines don't have telephone or internet access," Makoto said.

"Rei-chan will come, I'm sure of it!" Usagi exclaimed.

Makoto gave her friend a puzzling look and tilted her head sideways in confusion.

A mysterious grin spread across Usagi's face and her eyes shone with an inner light that took Makoto by surprise. During the years, Makoto have observed how her friend changed from an innocent schoolgirl to an increasingly responsible young woman. Part of her wished that Usagi retained the innocence and carefree nature of her younger days, but she knew it was impossible from what she experienced as Princess - what they all experienced as senshi.

"You sure are dense, Mako-chan. But it's a secret. Maybe you'll find out at your wedding!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A soft fire glowed in the dark room, threatening away the advancing shadows by its blazing glare. A young woman sat there silently, beads of sweet forming on her brow. The flames in front of her grew brighter, trying to show her something. But all she could see was the shadow of the only person she had been trying to forget.

_Impossible. I swear I felt some sort of foreboding presence just a second ago._

Concentrating once again, she searched deeper in the flames. Nothing, not even a fleeing sensation.

Sighing inwardly, Rei stood up and walked out into the courtyard. The ancient shrine where she had been staying was located in the distant countryside of Kyoto, offering her a calm atmosphere for training.

She breathed in the morning air and retrieved a letter from her robes.

_Why don't you just admit it that you're too anxious to see her? You're just making up an excuse about some presence so that you can leave for Tokyo sooner._

Logically, Rei knew that the wedding wasn't for another ten days and she was in no hurry to get back to Tokyo. However, since she received Makoto's letter two days ago she has been experiencing – how shall she put it? – a dread. She initially thought it was her sixth sense trying to warn her, but after two days of intense meditation, she found no trace of danger.

_I should just go pack my things. It's just a waste of time to stay here anyways since all I'm able to see in the fire is __**her**__ face._

With her mind set, she went in search of the shrine priest to inform him about her absence.


	2. Unexpected Arrivals

DC: I don't own anything. Just noticed that I forgot it in the 1st chap…oops.

Author's Notes: Still trying to figure out how to do dividers. So until I figure it out, '---' will do. If you don't like it then teach me how the dividers work! lol.

Shoujoai content. No liking equals back button.

----------------------------

Cloud Nine

Glancing at her reflection in the mirror one last time, Minako put away her make up kit, a weary expression creeping onto her face.

"Artemis?"

She saw the white cat crawling out of her bag through the mirror. Worry was evidently written all over his face. He jumped on her shoulder but remained silent, fiddling with something invisible between his paws.

Finally, he replied, "Hai, Minako?"

"I've been thinking…I mean, I've been remembering things from the past – from the Silver Millennium – that I didn't see on the night I met Tuxedo Kamen and – "

"I know, Minako," Artemis cut her.

"Nani? You knew? But I didn't tell you about it before."

"I know. It's just the way you reacted to Mako-chan's wedding. I sort of guessed it after that."

There was a short pause before Minako ventured forward.

"So are they, well, I mean back in the Silver Millennium, was Makoto and…were they together?"

Artemis sighed heavily, "Minako, there are things that you were never supposed to remember because, well, simply put, we had all agreed back then that the senshi should have the chance to live a normal life on Earth, that they should be given another chance to live. Of course, in order to fulfill the past mission some memories had to be returned, but just enough so that you guys can carry out the mission."

"So you mean I'm recalling something that I shouldn't be?" Minako hesitated.

"I don't know what's happening, but someone is releasing those memories to you. I'll have to contact Luna about it. Maybe the others are experiencing the same thing."

"But if they were, then the wedding…"

"Minako, it's time!" her manager called from the hallway. "We still have to go over the talk show questions."

"Okay!" Minako called back and gently set Artemis on the table.

"Oh, and another thing," Artemis added. "Until Luna and I figure out this, don't mention a word about it to anyone. Try to act if you didn't remember anything new."

Minako nodded slowly, "I understand."

Mentally clearing away her worries, she left her dressing room.

----------------------

Usagi stood at the airport gates, awe-struck.

"Wow! I can't believe Rei-chan arrived before Ami-chan. But Rei-chan, you should have called us. If Ami-chan didn't bump into you in the airport, we would have completely missed you!"

Rei shrugged, "I could have just called a taxi home. It's no big deal."

"But," Ami's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I think what's more amazing is that Usagi-chan actually managed to get to the right airport on time."

"Ami-chan! That was mean!"

"Not to mention she drove here all by herself," Rei added with a smirk.

"Arg! Rei-chan, you aren't better. You're supposed to defend your princess, remember?"

"Hai, your majesty, but only when there is something to defend. As for your driving skills…"

"Oh you," Usagi slapped Rei's arm. "Mamo-chan loves my driving."

"I wouldn't know, Usagi. Isn't he looking for a way to install extra seatbelts on the passenger's seat?"

"Alright children," Ami successfully separated her two friends who were about to jump on each other right on the spot.

"By the way, have you heard from Minako-chan?" Ami asked, addressing Rei's unvoiced question.

"Hmm, Mako-chan and I got through to her yesterday and she said she'll come as soon as she can."

"Oh," Rei's face instantaneously fell.

"What's wrong Rei-chan?" Usagi asked concernedly.

"I…I just had some uneasy feelings on the plane that I've been getting for quite a few days now. It's just…I don't know. It feels like something's not right."

Before Usagi could reassure her friend, Luna reached them through their cell phones.

"Minna! Youma yo!"

The three of them shared a look and rushed out of the airport, leaving behind their luggage.

---------------------------

"No, Usagi, turn left. I can feel the youma's presence nearby."

"Got it!" Usagi jerked the wheel suddenly, causing Rei to slide from one side of the back seats to the other and crash into the car window.

Rei cursed under her breath while rubbing her injury.

"Rei-chan! Gomen ne!"

"Don't mind me, Usagi. Just keep driving."

When they arrived at the scene, Makoto was already busy helping people escape.

"We'd better split up and get people out of here," she said. "I've been here for five minutes and there's no trace of a youma. But people inside this building just seem to collapse for no reason."

"Be careful guys," Ami admonished. "Just remember we can't transform anymore."

They all nodded in agreement before running off in different directions.

-----------------------------

Her manager sighed and slammed the folder on his knee.

"Minako, have you been listening to a word that I've been saying?"

Minako glanced up at him innocently, "Why of course. I always listen to your every word."

"I sure hope so, because there's no time to repeat it."

Minako smiled at his worried expression.

"I've been doing these live shows for years and every time you make it sound like it's my first."

"What can I say? It's never hurts to be too careful."

Minako nodded absently and closed her eyes in thought. But no matter how much she tried to focus for the live show, she couldn't shake off the uneasiness building inside her.

_Maybe something happened in Japan? But the others would contact if there was any emergency._

"Our guest today is Aino Minako!" The talk show host announced.

Minako put on her charming smile and stepped onto the stage. She sat down on the sofa and exchanged greetings with the host. The fans screamed louder as she waved to them.

But something caught her eye and her hand froze in midair.

Reclining against a secluded pillar, a young woman with piercing blue eyes and dressed in pure white stared directly at her, her hands twisting a red rose about her lips.

"So Minako, let's get started."

Minako reluctantly turned her attention back to the talk show host as she bombarded her with questions. When she turned back to the pillar, the woman was gone.

_Great. Now I'm seeing things too._

She sighed inwardly while keeping up her smile and turned her complete attention to the host.

Hidden behind the pillar, the blue-eyed woman smiled satisfactorily to herself.

"Venus. I've found you."

To be continued…


	3. A Dream? A Plane Crash!

--------------------------

Cloud Nine

(Tokyo, 5PM)

"What should we do?" Makoto panted. "There're too many people in here. If we don't get them out quickly enough, then…"

"It's no use," Ami said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "At this rate we'll never be able to evacuate everyone. We have to find the cause behind this."

"I agree. There's something odd about this place," Rei affirmed.

"But what about all these people?" Usagi stared helplessly at the sea of unconscious people on the floor. "We can't just leave them here. Man, I wish I can transform."

The four senshi shared a long look.

"I'll stay behind and move people out," Makoto volunteered. "You guys go ahead. Tell me when you need my help, okay?"

Suddenly the space around them became distorted; the walls and ceilings melded together like clay. Above them the sky turned a dark shade of grey and for a second a floating castle appeared from behind the clouds.

"What's going on?" Rei demanded over the confusion, watching her arms twisting in disgust.

"Look at that clock!" Ami screamed in horror.

The four shifted their attention to the clock hanging on the wall, which, despite being disfigured, clearly showed the minute's hand spinning counterclockwise rapidly.

_Someone is trying to transcend space and time!_ Ami frowned. _But who has that sort of power? _

In a flash of lightning the castle too became distorted and the two dimensions clashed together with a tremendous burst of light.

When they reopened their eyes, everything had returned to normal: the clock struck five and the sun shone brilliantly outside. However, the sea of unconscious people disappeared from sight, leaving behind the four women in an empty building.

"Nani?" Usagi rubbed her eyes and blinked.

"Sailor senshi!" a deep voice called. Seconds later a dark hole appeared in midair and out stepped a man clad in silver armor. His dark blue hair cascaded down his back and a white rose was pinned to his chest.

"A youma?" Makoto breathed.

The man smirked, "May I introduce myself? I'm Svetu. What an honor to finally meet the legendary senshi of the Silver Millennium."

"No," Rei whispered. "He's much too powerful for a youma."

Svetu looked at Rei intensely before focusing his attention on their clothing.

"What's the matter, sailor senshi? Why stay in those filthy human attire? Transform!"

The four women stepped back in precaution, their eyes never leaving Svetu.

"Just exactly who are you?" Usagi demanded.

Instead of replying, he charged forward with incredible speed and before anyone could react, he had pinned Usagi to the wall.

"Usagi!" her friends yelled out.

"I will not repeat myself. Transform!" Svetu gripped Usagi's throat tighter and threw her single-handedly on the floor.

"Ahh!"

*Thump*

"Damn you!" Makoto threw a punch at Svetu, only to be brushed aside violently by a single stroke. Rei and Ami followed suit and suffered the same ending.

"You guys are no match for me in your civilian form," Svetu warned as he continued walking towards Usagi. "This is my last time saying so."

He raised his hand to strike down on Usagi, but was pushed to the ground by someone from behind.

"Mamo-chan!"

"Ah! I almost forgot about the Prince," Svetu smiled evilly as he stood up. "How nice of you to join us, but unfortunately, I'm only interested in the sailor senshi."

Before Tuxedo Kamen was able to respond, another dark hole appeared next to Svetu. The new intruder was clothed similar to Svetu with dark brown armor. He kneeled in reverence at Svetu's side.

"Master Svetu, Yuki-sama had sent the word that she has located the fifth senshi."

"And has she said anything about her whereabouts?" Svetu inquired further.

"No, but she did say she would keep the final senshi away from Tokyo."

"Wonderful news. Now, Iriku, keep these five occupied until I get back."

With that, Svetu stepped into a dark opening that appeared behind him and disappeared from view.

"Matte!" Tuxedo Kamen ran after Svetu, but Iriku blocked his way.

"I don't think you are going anywhere," he grinned and his eyes turned a shade of pink. Instantaneously, everybody was paralyzed and stood in stone silence.

Rei closed her eyes in prayer:

_Minako…Kami, please don't let anything happen to her._

----------------------------

(London, 3AM)

"_Mars! Wait up! Mars!"_

_Sailor Mars turned around and upon realizing that it was I who had called her, muttered something inaudible under her breathe and strutted away._

_I shook my head in disbelief. Having yelling for her attention until my throat ached, the least she could do was offer a greeting. I paused in my pursuit to give my feet a rest. For the entire day Mars had avoided me; three times I almost caught up with her, but she always managed to slip away. _

_Where would she be? From what I saw, she usually locks herself in her room, sits on the old oak tree in the far south of the Palace, or puts on some civilian clothing and sneaks out into the city when she feels depressed. When she's in her room it's near impossible to haul her out and I know better than to leave the Palace grounds without permission from the Queen. So I decided to try my luck at the oak tree._

_I smiled to myself as when I saw her entering the south wing of the Palace, realizing that my spying on her for the past two weeks had finally paid off. I had memorized her schedule, her habits, even her facial expressions by heart. It all started the day we, the senshi, that is, arrived at the Lunar Palace. I had realized then that she wanted to become the leader and I guess she must have learned the same thing about me too because on that day we practically declared war on each other. We tried to outdo each other at everything, even to the point of woofing down our food to see who will finish first._

_She was amazing at everything she does. So I thought that maybe if I watched her long enough, I would discover her weak points and beat her to the leadership role. _

_But it turned out to be something else when I found myself admiring her more and more. Her strength, her passion, her beauty, the glare she wears when she's pissed off, like how she's looking at me right now…_

_I blinked. I hadn't even noticed when I had reached the oak tree, her favorite meditating spot. And judging from her temper, I must've been staring at her. _

_Shit!_

"_What are you doing here?" she asked, her intense gaze never faltering._

"_I could ask the same of you," I quickly found my voice. "Everyone's getting ready for the royal ball tonight. You wouldn't want to go unprepared."_

_She let out a soft grunt, "And what about you? Shouldn't the great Senshi of Love and Beauty be getting ready?"_

_I stumbled for a reasonable reply, my head spinning with possible excuses. But she continued snaring at me._

"_So even our great leader can get tongue-tied at times."_

_I felt my anger starting to boil and the best I could do was to stay silent because I knew if I opened my mouth, I would say something that I would regret. I had swore to myself that from today on, I would be a good friend and leader to all of the senshi, and I wasn't going to swallow my word on Mars._

_Truth be told, I had expected this reaction from her. Today was an important day; at the royal ball, the Queen will formally pass the senshi mantle on us and announce the leader her court had chosen. But by bribing Artemis and annoying Luna, they gave us enough clues to figure out whom the Queen had chosen._

_If I were her, I would have probably burst into tears right on the spot._

"_Do you like it here?" she asked, disrupting my chain of thoughts._

_I merely nodded, wondering where this could lead to._

"_Fine," she said, jumping down from the spot she was sitting on and brushing past me. "Then I won't be coming here anymore. Have a pleasant evening."_

_I watched her back disappearing from my view, admiring the grace she possessed when she moved. I watched her raven-black hair dancing about her, imagining how soft they would feel. I watched until her shadow was engulfed inside Palace, while it had just occurred to me that Mars managed to slip away for the fourth time._

_Suddenly every around me went black. I felt as if I was surrounded by a strange coldness. _

_What's going on?_

"_Go back…" a soft voice echoed around the emptiness._

_Where?_

"_Go back…"_

_To the Palace?_

"_A crisis…go back…crisis…new crisis…"_

_A crisis?_

"_Go back…enemies…crisis…"_

_A new enemy!_

"_The Princess…go back…"_

_Usagi is in danger!_

"_Hurry…"_

_Gasp!_

Minako jerked awake, the remnants of the dream still fresh in her mind. It took her a moment to adjust to the soft night light and her queen size bed. Beside her, Artemis was sleeping soundly by the pillow.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. Gathering her thoughts, she tried to piece together the strange dream, which comprised of a memory from her past life and something more imminent.

_Was it because I was too worried about my friends in Japan? _She wondered. _No. It was trying to tell me something, I'm sure of it._

With her mind set, she gently tapped Artemis on the head.

"What's wrong, Minako?" Artemis yawned. "It's not even four in the morning."

"We're going back, Artemis."

----------------------------

(Tokyo, 5:30PM)

Motoki softly hummed to himself as he finished cutting the carrots. Placing the ingredients in the mixing bowl, he worriedly glanced at his wristwatch.

"I wonder what's taking Mako-chan so long," he muttered to himself. "She usually calls if she's getting home late."

Motoki washed his hands and gently tapped on his turtle's glass cage. The poor turtle stirred from his peaceful sleep, poked his tiny head out of his shell, realized that his owner was talking to himself again, and went back to sleep.

"What do you think, Kamekichi? Mako-chan knows how to take care of herself, ne? I bet she'll walk in any minute and scold me for cutting the carrots too big or putting too much salt in the sauce."

_And that she's not a kid anymore and that I worry too much. _He mentally added.

Motoki sat down on the living room couch and switched on the TV to the cooking channel. Makoto had banned him from the kitchen since the day he had tried to cook for her 19th birthday. After much pleading and begging, he was allowed to prepare the food, but not cook it.

He shook his head at his girlfriend's obstinacy. He knew he was no where near her when it comes to cooking, but it wasn't fair that she made the food for him 24/7. Starting next Saturday, they would be officially married and Motoki didn't want Makoto to bare the burden all her life.

So he secretly learned techniques from the cooking channel, hoping to surprise his girlfriend – no, his wife – on their honeymoon.

The front door opened with a soft click and Motoki quickly switched to a different channel, pretending to be watching the evening news.

"Mako-chan, I cut the carrots and mixed the sauce as you told me to," he said without taking his eyes off the TV.

No reply came. Instead, a tall shadow descended on him, blocking his view of the television. The only thing he could see was silver armor.

_Nani?_

Motoki's eyes darted up to meet those of the intruder, gasping loudly in surprise.

"It's been a long time, my friend."

"Wh…Who…ar…Who are you?" Motoki stammered.

"No worries, Motoki-kun, you'll remember soon enough."

Svetu grasped Motoki's skull so tightly that it nearly made him pass out. Then, murmuring a spell under his breath, Svetu formed a black seed, which he pushed into Motoki between his eyebrows.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Welcome back," Svetu whispered to the now unconscious Motoki on the couch. "Pleasant dreams, my friend."

"Stop right there!"

"Who's there?" Svetu demanded, his eyes sweeping in every detail of the room. At last, he saw a purple cat climbing through the kitchen window and upon landing on the floor, transformed into a human being.

"A kid?"

"Look again," Luna waved her index finger in front of her face. "I'm Sailor Luna!"

"Sailor…Luna?" Svetu hesitated. He couldn't remember a sixth senshi from the Silver Millennium.

"Take this! Luna Sucre Candy!"

Svetu simply leaped out of the way and Luna's attack knocked over the table behind him, sending Kamekichi and his cage on the floor. The poor thing, having been disturbed twice in ten minutes from sleep, listlessly made its way under the dining table to find some peace.

"Oops. Sorry, Kamekichi."

"How interesting! The senshi can't transform but their advisor can," Svetu observed amusingly. "Well then, let me de-transform you."

As he spoke, a dark hole appeared behind him. He stepped in and reappeared behind Luna, grabbing some pepper off the kitchen counter and threw the powder at Luna's face.

"Ahh…ahh…ah chew!"

Svetu threw a smirk at Luna, who was back to her cat form, and made his exit.

"Oww…where's Usagi and the others?" Luna wondered. She picked herself off the floor and jumped on the couch to check on Motoki. "Hmm…everything looks normal. I wonder what that guy did to him."

-----------------------

(Tokyo, 5:45PM)

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" Svetu asked when he returned to the building where Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Makoto were stranded. With a single wave, he lifted the paralyzing spell placed on them.

"What did you do to Minako?" Rei demanded immediately.

"Venus, you mean? I wouldn't know. You wouldn't think that I can travel to London and be back in an hour?"

Rei fell silent.

"By the way, if you want news on her, why don't you listen to the radio? She's all over the news these days, isn't she?"

His low laughter continued to echo in the building long after he disappeared yet again in front of their eyes.

"I wonder what he means…listen to the radio?" Ami mused aloud on their way back home in Mamoru and Usagi's car. The two had generously offered everyone a lift home.

"He must have been joking around," Usagi said lightly, switching on the radio. "Minako-chan's popularity is rising worldwide."

The five occupants in the car slowly relaxed to the soft pop music. Each was thinking their own thoughts: the immergence of a new enemy, the fact that they are powerless, the events of the past hour, the enemy's objective, the…

"We interrupt this program to bring the breaking news. Five minutes ago, Aino Minako's private jet had crashed into a residential area in Qingdao, China. The idol has been rushed to the local hospital, where her condition remains unstable…"

Mamoru almost drove his car into a ditch.

To be continued…

--------------------

For your reference, the time difference between Tokyo and London is 8 hours. So 3AM in London corresponds to 11AM in Japan.


	4. Where to get that Visa

--------------------------

Cloud Nine

"What! What do you mean we can't get the tickets? Didn't you just say there're a lot of seats available?" Makoto screamed at the ticket clerk at Tokyo International Airport.

Ami and Mamoru were busy keeping Usagi from getting behind the counter and grab some tickets for herself. Rei stood slightly apart from the group; her forced serenity masked her genuine concern.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean no. I mean," the clerk gulped visibly, his voice shaking under Makoto's angry glare. "The tickets are not a problem, ma'am. The reason that you can't just go to China is because – unless I'm not aware of a recent change in international policies – you are required to hold a Chinese visa. And looking at your records just now, you don't seem to have ever acquired one."

_A Visa! Of course, how could I forget about that, with my Papa being a politician?_

"Alright, so where can I get a visa?" Makoto asked impatiently.

"Mako-chan," Ami coughed to get her friend's attention. "That'll take weeks, if not months! They'll have to collect our personal information, including any criminal records and public offenses, conduct a background check, question our motives…"

_Ami-chan's right. It'll take a long time – too long. But I have to see her now! I'll give anything to see her._

"…gather our parents' information, or maybe even acquire our family tree…"

"I think we get your point, Ami-chan," Makoto politely cut off Ami's incessant rambling.

_Will you really do anything, anything for her?_

"So what should we do? Minako-chan…I hope she's alright." Usagi crossed her hands together in front of her heart.

…_Yes, anything, even if it means seeing the busy politician._

Mamoru patted Usagi soothingly on the back. "I'm sure she's alright, Usako. Even though she's not a senshi anymore, she still has the spirit of a fighter inside her."

Usagi looked up at him with watery eyes, "You really think so, Mamo-chan?"

"Hai, I know so," he gave her a reassuring smile. Usagi looked around at the rest of her friends and they all shared a small but hopeful smile.

"I'm sure they'll transfer her to a hospital in Japan as soon as her condition gets better. We should just stay tuned through the television and hope for the best," Ami suggested.

"That sounds good," Usagi grinned broadly. "What do you think, Rei-chan? Huh? Rei-chan? Where did she go?"

"That's strange. I swear she was behind me just a second ago. Maybe she's, oh wait a second, maybe this is Rei calling."

Makoto pulled her cell phone out, "Moshi moshi? Luna? Nani, Motoki-kun? I got it! I'll be right there." She hanged up the phone and pulled Mamoru out of the airport, the other girls following behind them. "Mamoru-kun, I need a ride back to my apartment. Motoki-kun got attacked!"

---------------------------

"Rei-sama, please wait in here. Your father will be with you shortly," the secretary led Rei into a grand office and quietly shut the door.

Rei walked around to the windows, admiring the open view of the busy streets as well as tranquil lake that lay beyond them. She fidgeted with the blind folds, her heart pounding its way to the base of her throat. What if he dismissed her like a stranger? What if he turned her offer down? What if he derided her and humiliated her? What if…

The office door slowly slid open without a sound. Her father, wearing the same dark complexion that he had greeted her with six years back, walked up to the window without even acknowledging her presence. Father and daughter stood side by side, neither speaking a word.

Finally…

"Papa," she managed to choke out.

Unhurriedly he turned around to face her but to her surprise his face showed neither anger nor mocking insincerity. Actually his face displayed no emotions at all, which filled Rei with dread. Under any circumstance she should be able to read others' motives – that was what she had trained for during her extended stay in Kyoto. Now her mind was swarmed with possibilities that she had lost control over her natural instincts.

"Papa, I…"

Leisurely he strolled over to his desk, his eyes never leaving hers. Picking up the office phone, he addressed his secretary through the receiver.

"Aya? Yes, yes, please get me through to Mikage Yuichi-san." A pause. "Mikage-san? Yes, yes, yes. How are you, my friend? Good, that's good. Listen, I have a small favor to ask. No, no, nothing like that. It's my daughter; she had this spontaneous desire to go to China. Yes, you know how kids are these days. Oh, no, that's not necessary. Just,…Why, of course, under my name would be fine. Yes, yes, of course. And your Home Improvement Bill? Don't worry about it, my friend. I'll get it passed by the end of the month. Then we'll call it a deal. Sorry to put you through all the trouble. I'll talk to you later. Yes, of course. Bye."

Rei blinked hard.

"When you get to the Tokyo Airport," her father instructed, looking straight ahead, "Go check in at the Express Service. The clerk there would let you in under my name. After you do that, go straight to the airplane and make sure no one asks you for your identification again. Don't get me into any trouble, Rei."

"Isn't this bribery?" Rei asked, still dumbfounded by the events in the past five minutes.

He smiled, "Special circumstances require special solutions. She is special, isn't she, that friend of yours?"

"Hai, but…"

He held up his hand to silence her. "Don't say anything Rei. When you get back, we'll have a long talk. Now, Aya already have the ticket ready for you. The plane leaves in an hour."

"Arigato, Papa, for everything…"

He watched his daughter ran out of his office, slowly shaking his head. "She's grown up."

-------------------------

There was a light knock on her door; without looking away from the TV she knew who it was. Without waiting for an invitation, the visitor entered the apartment and shut the door loudly to get her attention.

"That was quick," she remarked absently. "I guess I had expected too much of the sailor senshi."

Frowning when she didn't hear a reply, she glanced up and surprisingly saw her guest tucking self-consciously at his shirt.

"Yuki, tell me the truth, don't I look like an idiot with these 21th century cloths?"

She sighed, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him to sit down. "It looks great on you, Svetu. You look great in everything," she purred.

Svetu smiled at the compliment and wrapped his arm around his love. "As long as you like it, Yuki, I'll wear anything. But I still think this is way too thin. There's absolutely no protection."

"In the 21st century people don't usually need to wear heavy armor to protect themselves. And I told you before, don't call me Yuki unless I'm transformed."

"Oh right, _Shura-_chan. But, hmm, the 21st century sounds amazing, doesn't it? It's like I woke up from a dream about the Silver Millennium and all of the sudden I was transported millions of years forward in time, all thanks to the Great Magician, of course."

"What is she like, this Great Magician?" Shura questioned.

"I never saw her face, but she controlled everything in time and space. She revived me along with the Chief Commander after our beloved Princess destroyed the world," he said bitterly. "She told us that we can have a second chance, that we can start all over. She transported us to the 1990s Japan, where we started searching for our comrades."

"And you've found at least a hundred of them," Shura commented as she switched the channel of her television.

"Not quite, we've actually found three hundred and seventeen so far. But searching for you and Motoki was always the top priority. You guys were, of course, the top generals serving the Moon Court. And besides, I…"

His voice trailed away as a familiar face flashed across the TV screen.

"…Aino Minako was rushed to the local hospital in Qingdao right after the accident where her condition remains unstable. Local authorities have been trying to move Aino-san to bigger hospitals nearby where she would undoubtedly receive better treatments. The police are investigating the site of the plane crash, but so far all information is withheld from the media. It seems like that this tragic event was not a mere accident. No further…"

Svetu frowned, "I thought Chief only told you to keep Venus away from Tokyo so that she wouldn't obstruct our plans with Motoki. You didn't have to crash her plane, just drive the plane off course for ten minutes. You know if she doesn't make it, our entire plan crumbles into dust."

"Don't worry, I didn't kill her. It's just…when I saw her doing that interview, I felt so…so angry and hateful. I just wanted her to feel pain somehow. I don't know, I just couldn't help it…"

----------------------

(Qingdao, China)

Rei had practically not stopped running since the moment the plane's wheels touched the ground. She was lucky that all the customs were located in Tokyo, so she didn't need to go through any trouble at Qingdao Airport. She wouldn't think she could stand it much longer: it's been several hours and the media reported that Minako's condition hasn't improved one bit. It's just too much. She needed to see her.

The taxi that she rode pulled to a stop upon reaching her destination and Rei, without waiting, shoved a handful of money into the driver's hands. She couldn't wait for him to calculate the total cost, not that she understood Chinese. She heard him yelling as she entered the hospital, probably that she paid too much or that he didn't except Japanese currency.

Everything was a blur, completely alien to her. She could only half understand the signs in the hospital and she was sure she was walking in the wrong direction. It was nighttime and the halls were almost devoid of visitors. But she walked on partially relying on her instincts and partially by tracing the footsteps of several news reporters scattered in the halls.

At last she saw a pool of reporters lined up outside an emergency room, snapping pictures and questioning the security standing outside the doors. With great difficulty, she pushed through the crowd, leaving a trail of destruction behind her. Just when her hand was within inches of the door handle, one of the security guards pushed her backwards.

"你想干什么? 这里是不能随便进的."

At the moment, Rei could care less if he had threatened to kill her. This last obstacle was separating her from Minako and no matter what she would cross the threshold.

"喂! 你是聋子呀? 你不能进!"

"Let go of me!" Rei screamed. She could see millions of flashing lights behind her. She didn't care if the reporters put her picture on the front page; she didn't care about her image, about her father's reputation. Nothing in the world mattered more than the girl beyond these doors.

"喂! 你要是在不老实的话, 我可不客气了!"

They tried to make her turn back, but she fought back with force. Then, the doors opened and out stepped none but Minako's manager.

"What's all this racket? Oh, Mars Reiko-chan."

"Please!" Rei begged, her tears almost oozed out of desperation. "Let me see her. I need to see her!"

Sugao watched her determined face, remembering back to the time when this same girl had gone so far just to prevent Minako quitting her career. He remembered the laugh they had shared that day and how Minako's spirit rapidly improved thereafter. Yes, he was sure that this girl and his client shared an intimate bond. And with Minako's parents no where to be found, Sugao was sure that the unconscious woman would like the company of a close friend.

"Let her come in," he finally uttered.

The security guards looked at him puzzlingly.

"Oh, forgot that you don't speak Japanese." He rolled his eyes, grabbing Rei's wrist and pulling her into the emergency room.

The sight that she beheld made her stop breathing.

No...

Minako's condition was ten times worse than what Rei had interpreted from the news broadcasts. The girl's body was completely lifeless and not even signs of breathing could be observed. The only indications of hope was the various machines that monitored her pulse rate, breathing rate, and blood flow, which changed data every half a second, and Rei took change as a good sign.

"…doesn't seem like a coma," Rei heard a doctor trying to explain Minako's situation to Sugao with in choppy Japanese, "She seems to be in some state of dreams. Each records shows her condition stable, but just no waking up."

"Well, should I take this as good news?" Sugao asked hopefully.

"Not quite, because if she not wake up soon, she may never wake up. Trapped in her dream world, if you know what I mean."

"Soon? How soon is _soon_?" Sugao questioned impatiently.

"We don't know. If she still in this state next morning, then… There's nothing much we could do, sir." The doctor bowed politely and left the room, leaving Rei and Sugao, along with several nurses keeping a close eye on the electronic devices beside the patient's bed.

"Kami!" Sugao sank into a nearby chair and covered his head with both hands.

No…

Rei treaded towards the lifeless figure involuntarily. Reaching out, she grasped Minako's delicate yet cold fingers in her own. Slowly she stroke over the soft skin, remembering the agility of those fingers sweeping across the keyboard. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the idol performing one of her newer releases – how her skills at the piano rivaled her vocal talents. Rei had always feigned disinterest, but in reality she was more up-to-date and more informed about the idol's appearances than Usagi. But of course, she had never bragged about it like her friend did.

One of the nurses behind her said something incomprehensible to her, probably telling her not to mess up the equipments. Rei ignored it, just as she had stopped taking in events around her for the past four hours. In the back of her mind, she feared that an enemy might show up and she would be forced to leave.

Refusing to follow that line of thought, Rei turned her attention back to Minako, whose face was covered by an oxygen mask.

_You can't let me go through this again. It's not fair; watching you slip away for one time is more than what I could ever handle. You have to fight, Minako. Where's the soldier's mentality that you always lectured me about? Where's the stubbornness that you always carried around? I know you hate losing, Minako, and damn it you can't back down from a fight this time. You have to win – no, you will win. I know it! You will, Minako!_

She hadn't noticed the tears trailing down her face until a nurse offered her a handkerchief. Shamefully she grabbed it and wiped her eyes clear, but all was in vain. New tears swelled in her eyes just as the old ones were disposed of, and this time Rei let them fall freely. She was strong. She would stay strong for her friends even when all was hopeless, but she too had a limit.

To be continued…

----------------------

There, finally finished! It took longer than I thought and in the blink of an eye my SAT was over already! :) I hope you guys all enjoyed this chap since the Rei/Mina stuff has been picking up…err… very slowly…

Hmm, will our beloved Minako-chan wake up? Um, I don't even think this should be a cliffhanger since everyone should know the answer

For your reference, Minako's manager in PGSM was Saitou Sugao, whom she calls "shacho". I decided to stick with him.

And oh, the Chinese roughly translate to:

"What are you doing? You can't just go in there."

"Hey, are you deaf? You can't go in!"

"Hey, if you don't behave, then I'll have to forcefully remove you!"

*I have no clue how the last one should be translated because I can't find any English equivalents at the moment. Sorry

So until next time.


	5. A Well of Memories

Author's notes: Big thanks to all those who took five secs to review! (u know who u r!!) You guys have made my day, and so I decided to get a head start on this chap. For those who are wondering about the new enemies (Lokiador!), I can definitely say that they're not what you think they are, that is, they're not placed in the story in order to destroy the Earth and whatnot. You'll see what I mean soon. By the way, I like to switch scenes A LOT, so if it ever gets confusing, I apologize.

----------------------------

(Tokyo, 9PM)

Usagi carefully balanced a tray of salad and milk in her right hand while her left hand reached for the chopsticks lying on the countertop. Quietly she slipped into the bedroom where her friends watched over the unconscious Motoki.

"Mako-chan, Luna, I got us something to eat," Usagi announced in a whisper.

Makoto stirred from her spot beside the bed, on which her fiancé appeared to be enjoying a pleasant sleep. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and stole a quick glance at her wrist watch. Luna transformed into her human form, eyeing Usagi weirdly. Yawning, they took their respective dishes from Usagi.

Poking at the contents suspiciously, Makoto shared a questioning look with Luna.

"Usagi…cook?"

"Mako-chan!" Usagi grabbed the unoccupied pillow off the bed and smacked her friend's backside. "Of course I can cook. I've been cooking for Mamo-chan for two years!"

Feeling unconvinced, Makoto took a careful bite and swallowed with a painful face.

"Is that so?" she coughed. "And he never complained…err, I mean commented on your abilities?"

"That's what I've been wondering for years," Luna chimed in.

"You guys are so mean! Mamo-chan loves my cooking," Usagi said with confidence.

"The same could be said about her driving," Luna whispered in Makoto's year, causing them to burst into laughter. But the evanescent light atmosphere was shattered as the three turned their attention on Motoki.

"It's been three hours," Makoto sighed.

Usagi and Luna shared a long look and remained silent. Just then, the front door of Makoto's apartment opened; Ami and Mamoru entered with a bag in each hand, looking exhausted from climbing a long flight of stairs.

"We're back," Ami announced while she and Mamoru dropped the bags in the living room.

"Where did you go?"

"To the airport, Usako, because Ami-chan and Rei-chan had left their baggage their earlier. Then Ami-chan suggested that we grab some sleeping bags in case we need to stay here tonight." He leaned in and whispered, "How's Motoki?"

Usagi only shook her head, sighing heavily.

"Then, I'll pull out the sleeping bags: one in the living room and one in Motoki-kun's study room. Is that okay with you, Mako-chan?" Ami asked.

"Sure, Ami-chan."

"Oh, by the way," Ami paused at the bedroom door, "Mamoru-kun, don't forget to tell them what we heard on the radio."

"Is there an update on Minako-chan's condition?" Usagi asked hopefully.

Mamoru shook his head, "No, but it does appear that Rei is with her right now."

"Nani, Rei-chan?"

"Yep. She flew over to Qingdao on the same flight we were trying to get tickets for earlier."

"But she doesn't have a visa. How could…"

"Through her father, no doubt," Makoto said. "He is a politician after all. It won't be too hard to obtain a visa in a short amount of time."

Usagi nodded slowly, then her face dropped. "So Minako-chan…"

Mamoru shook his head, pulling his wife into a light embrace.

"I think," Ami began slowly, reentering the bedroom, "that Minako-chan's injury and Motoki-kun's condition are connected somehow."

"Why? Minako-chan fell from a plane and Motoki-kun was attacked by the enemy. I don't see the connection," Luna stated.

"It's not that. Mama told me earlier that even though Minako-chan fell from an altitude of over 5000 feet, her injuries are not deadly. In fact, it's a miracle that she could survive such a fall with only minor wounds. There's just nothing wrong with her apart from scratches; heartbeats, blood pressure, breathing, etc. all appear normal. She's not suffering any mental injuries, but she's just not waking up. I think the same could be said of Motoki-kun. Nothing's wrong with him, it's just…"

Luna's eyes grew wide, "Could it be that the enemy was also responsible for Minako-chan's accident?"

"I think it'll be more than coincidence if that were the case," Ami agreed. "But we can't jump to conclusions yet."

"I'll contact Artemis," Luna decided. "At any rate, Mako-chan should get some rest. Ami-chan and I will watch over Motoki-kun for now. If we find anything new, we'll call you guys."

With a plan agreed upon, Makoto reluctantly left her fiancé's side. Usagi and Mamoru also went into the living room to catch all the sleep they could get. The day's adventures had exhausted everyone and it was getting increasingly difficult to keep their eyes open.

However, the night has only begun.

"Ami-chan, we need all the data on Minako-chan's accident as we can get," Luna said determinedly.

Ami nodded, pulled out her laptop, and set off to work.

Luna, on the other hand, began establishing a communication signal that would reach Artemis. Gradually, she pinned down his location.

"Luna! Thanks goddness. You heard what happened, right?"

"Hai, that's why I'm calling. We were attacked by a new enemy this afternoon and one of them did something to Mokoti-kun. He's been unconscious ever since."

"What?! You guys too? Man, this isn't my day."

"Artemis, we need your input on this situation."

"I'd love to help you, Luna, but I'm barely at the hospital yet. Those jerks left me under the debris and I had to climb out myself."

"Well, what about what happened during the crash?"

"I don't remember much. My head's been spinning so much. Minako had some sort of dream around three this morning and she was convinced that you guys were in danger. We were flying over China around eight thirty when the captain informed us that there was a small technical problem and that we can't land at Tokyo as we had planned. So we decided to head for Kyoto, where Mars stays. But then the engine stopped working and we just crashed."

"But how did Minako-chan survive falling from over 5000 feet?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anything afterwards. We just started going down and I had thought that it was the end. Minako squeezed me really hard and I think we both fainted before the plane hit the ground. When I woke up less than an hour ago, everything was in ruins."

"Luna! Look at this," Ami said hurriedly.

"Nani, what's wrong?" Luna stared blankly at the picture on the laptop's screen.

"This was taken when the first police and ambulances arrived. Look, Minako-chan is laying on top of the debris."

"Artemis, didn't you say you climbed out of the debris of the plane? How can Minako-chan be on top?"

"She was? Well, maybe it's some magical force that saved her in the last second."

"I think it's more complex than that," Ami reasoned. "I'm sure that the enemy is involved, but why didn't they kill her? And how do you explain Minako-chan and Motoki-kun not waking up?"

----------------------

(Qingdao)

It was past midnight. Only several more hours until morning. Rei struggled to keep her head up and eyes open, but her human tendencies were surpassing her self discipline. Sugao had went back to his hotel room, after much pleading on the doctors' part and a repeated promise that he would be notified as soon as anything changes, for better or for worse. They had tried to say the same things to Rei, but one cold glare made them swallow their words. She would be with Minako no matter what, even if, in the worst scenario, it's to see her off.

_No! Stop thinking like that! She's going to make it._

The two nurses inside the emergency room had dozed off a long time ago, leaving several doctors monitoring Minako's condition from their office. To shake off her weariness, she tried mental communication with Minako. She was long aware that they shared some sort of internal bond. For example, once she found herself unreasonably happy and when she later checked the news, it turned out that Minako had won the Glitter Award earlier that day. Before Minako's every major performance, Rei would find herself fidgety and uneasy for the entire day. If this bond let Rei experience Minako's emotions, perhaps Minako could feel her anxiety as well.

There was a soft click that resounded in the silent room. Looking up, Rei saw an exhausted and dirt-covered grey cat climbing through the window.

"Artemis?"

"Mars! I didn't know you were here," he jumped onto Minako's bed. "How's Minako?"

Rei only mumbled something under her breath.

"Nani?"

"The doctors said," Rei choked, striving in vain to new tears from falling. "If she doesn't wake up before sunrise, then…"

"…"

_Minako…_

-------------------

(Silver Millennium)

"_Have you seen Mars?"_

"_Gomen, Venus, but I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon."_

_I stomped my foot frustratingly, earning a funny look from Mercury. I knew that it was improper of me to lose my temper in public, but I could care less about my image at the moment. It was so like her: just disappear on me without any words of where she's going. _

"_Have you checked the southern wing? She used to hang around here a lot."_

_I offered a quick thanks to my fellow senshi and headed towards the southern end of the Palace, knowing that this was going to be a fruitless search. True, she used to go to her oak tree almost everyday, but that was back when we were rivals. Now our relationship has changed – to the complete reverse to be exact._

_I smiled fondly at the times we shared together, from rivals to comrades to best friends, and finally to something more than friends in the last two weeks. I had given so much to her, and it hurts that she is still pulling off this disappearance act on me, especially now._

_To my surprise, Mercury was right. There she was, sitting on the tree with her eyes closed, her long raven hair gently sweeping in the wind. I admired her beauty silently before proceeding to get her attention._

"_I thought you said you weren't going to come here anymore," I said teasingly._

"_That was when I thought I would never speak with you." Her voice was emotionless._

_Frowning slightly, I continued, "And what about now?" Again, I had no clue where this conversation was going._

"_Now? Now I know I'll never speak with you."_

_Nani?_

"_What's wrong, Mars?"_

"_You would know that better than anyone else."_

"_No, I don't. Please enlighten me." I could feel my frustration building._

"_So despite being a god-damn liar, you've also proved to be a great actor too."_

"_Why? What did I do?"_

"_Oh, I don't know. For example, that day with you and Yuki…"_

_Me and Yuki? I tried hard to remember any recent events between us. The only thing I could recall was last week when I asked her to stay behind after our training session so that we could practice more. Mars can't possibly be jealous over that, could she?_

"_I was only asking her a favor," I retorted. _

"_Favor, eh? I guess you could call it as such," she replied sarcastically._

"_Can you just tell me what's wrong?" I raised my voice. "I don't see a problem with asking a friend a favor."_

"_You don't see a problem?!" she screamed, tears dripping on her bare arms. My heart cringed at the sight. When I tried to wipe away those beautiful crystals, she slapped my hand away_

"_What's the big deal?" I could feel my own tears on my cheek. "You can't expect me to be with you every second of the day!"_

"_No, but I do think that…" Here, she trailed off. "Forget it. It's a waste of time to try to explain to you. I can't believe that you, of all people…"_

_The conversation continued in this manner. I was boiling with anger by the time we parted separate ways. Still unsure of what started the whole argument, I watched her shadow for the last time, my heart utterly broken into a thousand pieces. _

------------------------

(Tokyo, 3AM)

Ami turned away from the laptop screen, rubbing her tired eyes. She head collected data for the past five hours and was finally successful in creating a simulation, which modeled Minako accident with only minor errors in air pressure and wind speeds.

"So," she proceeded to explain to her friends, "From the results of the simulation, it's impossible that Minako-chan survived such a deadly crash."

"Therefore we think that the same enemy who attacked Motoki-kun also caused the accident," Luna finished the argument.

"Artemis said if she doesn't wake up by six…" Usagi trailed off, her eyes filling with tears.

The occupants of the room concurred in silence.

"I guess we could say the same for Motoki-kun, then," Makoto murmured.

Everyone remained silent, not comprehending the situation and not knowing what to do. They could only wait for the judgment of fate.

Suddenly, Luna's head perked up. "It's Artemis! He's trying to contact us."

"Luna! Can you hear me?"

"It's a little fuzzy, but I can hear."

"Luna, I found out what's wrong with Minako. And if Mercury's theory is correct, then Motoki should be experiencing the same thing."

"Really? So there's something that we can do?"

"I don't have much time. I don't know how long I can keep up this long distance communication, so I'll explain it quickly. They're remembering the past. Do you know what I mean?"

"Nani? They're recovering memories from the Silver Millennium? Motoki-kun too?"

"Hai, that's the only possible explanation I can come up with. Anyhow, you have to wake up Motoki before sunrise because if…late…upt…Luna…rrrr….rrrrrrr"

"What's wrong, Luna?" Usagi asked urgently.

"Artemis thinks that Minako-chan and Motoki-kun are recovering in their memories from the Silver Millennium," Luna explained.

"Nani? Motoki-kun is?" Makoto asked bewilderedly.

Nodding, Luna glanced at the clock, "It's a possibility. When the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, all court officials and civilians – basically everyone in the kingdom was reborn on Earth. The senshi were awoken because they're needed to fight. As for the others, they could be anywhere and anyone.

"Besides, it's worth a try. If what Artemis said is true, we have to bring Motoki-kun back to reality before sunrise. He must get out of the cycle of memories that he's receiving."

"What if he doesn't?" Makoto asked quietly after a long silence.

"Then," Luna paused, "Then I think he'll be stuck in those memories forever."

-----------------------------

(Qingdao)

Still holding onto Minako's hand, Rei addressed the now grey plush cat, "Artemis, what made you so sure that she's recovering her memories?"

"It's Minako," he replied, looking at his charge helplessly. "Whenever she remembers something new about the Silver Millennium, she always makes that face, with her left eyebrow slightly raised and her mouth pressed in a thin line."

"So what should I do?" Rei hesitated.

Artemis scratched his head, "I'm not sure. Usually she wakes up on her own. But I think this time she's receiving too many memories at the same time that it's going beyond her limit. I guess we should try to talk to her."

"But I've been doing that for the entire night!"

"Really? Aloud?"

"Well…maybe not."

"Then, go on!"

"What? Why me?"

Artemis sighed, "Mars, this is no time for this rubbish. We need her to wake up, and I'm sure she'll be gladder hearing your voice than mine."

Unsurely, she put both hands on Minako's delicate fingers.

_Will she really be happy to hear my voice? I'll give anything to hear hers._

"Minako, wake up," she whispered.

"Minako!" Artemis called a bit louder.

"Onegai, open your eyes. There's no use remembering the past. Minako, you can't do this to me twice. Minako!"

Suddenly, Minako's eyes began tearing up. Several droplets rolled down her cheeks, damping the pillow and sheets.

"She heard us!" Artemis exclaimed. "She heard us!"

Then, her lips also began moving, forming inaudible words. Rei leaned in carefully but couldn't catch a single word. She shared a look with Artemis, then whispered, "Minako, I know you can hear me. Open your eyes. Just –"

Rei was interrupted when Minako's eyes shot open, the surprise making Rei fall on the ground. The previously unconscious women sat up, her eyes glided over everything except for Rei, who was managing to pull herself off the floor. Grabbing her friend more fiercely than necessary, Minako buried her head in Rei's shoulder and uttered a name loud enough for every hospital personnel to hear.

"MARS!!"

At the same time, on the other side of East Sea, fate performed yet another miracle. Just when the senshi had given up the idea that Motoki was recovering memories, his eyes snapped open. Like Minako, his eyes remained spiritless until he spotted the person of interest. Grabbing Ami rudely, he pushed her roughly into the closet, where luckily she landed in a pile of cloth.

"You, stay away!"

To be continued…

--------------------------------

fyi, time difference between Tokyo and China is 1 hour. Man, I really need to move Minako to Tokyo. All this time difference thing is screwing up my head. By the way, I only described one of Minako's memories, but there's a lot more that I simply omitted in this chapter. First, I haven't decided which ones to use yet, and second, because I thought that I should space them out so that there's more guessing on the readers part.


	6. No Visa? Minako to the rescue

-------------------------

(Qingdao)

Leaning against the hospital wall, Rei sighed heavily, staring emptily at the door across the hall. She had been wandering like a lost spirit outside that door for the entire day. What should she do? Go find some place to rest – and she would loss all contact with Minako. The hospital had pulled up their security ever since the afternoon so if Rei choose to leave the hospital, she would never have the slightest chance to come back in. Stay here – and she would end up in the emergency room in a couple of hours. Her head spun so much from lack of sleep that she could barely differentiate between left and right. Besides, the doctors had concurred that Minako was in no immediate danger and Rei hadn't seen the idol since she woke up screaming her name.

What happened after that seemed like a blur. The doctors rushed in, obviously perplexed by the sudden change in their patient's condition, and spent the remaining morning performing every possible test on Minako, during which, of course, Rei wasn't allowed in the operating room. In fact, it literally took four nurses to peel the two apart and two more to push Rei out of the room.

Around midday, the Japanese speaking doctor informed Sugao, who was also pacing back and forth outside the operating room like a headless fly, that Minako's condition had stabled, but that they still need to keep a close eye on her. After another hour, Minako was transferred to another room, and that was the first and only time Rei caught a glimpse of her friend that day. She looked tired and fragile, but nevertheless awake and conscious of her surroundings. But again, the door was shut in Rei's face.

Rei had been told repeatedly, by the doctor, by the security guards, and even by Sugao that 'Aino-san' was feeling very tired and was not in the condition to see anyone. But Artemis was with her – no one bothered to remove a plush toy – Sugao was with her, and even some damn reporters went in to see Minako. So why the hell did Rei have to stand outside?

She felt the increasing urge to break down the door with her own two hands; at this rate Minako could have died and she would have no clue about it. Okay, maybe that was too extreme, but she felt uncomfortable not knowing what's happening to her friend.

Just then, she noticed the mounting amount of doctors going in and out of Minako's room. She was about to sneak in with one of them when Sugao came out, slowly shaking his head.

"Saitou-san, is something wrong?" Rei asked.

"It's this hospital's equipments. That – we need to get Minako to a bigger hospital," Sugao answered, rubbing his temples.

"Why, what happened?" Rei immediately tensed up.

"That oxygen mask just, out of no reason, suddenly started pumping carbon dioxide and Minako…almost suffocated. Luckily there were a lot of people in there."

Before Rei could question further, the Japanese-speaking doctor came running up to Sugao.

"My deepest apologies, Saitou-san. Someone must switched the mask because there's no reason that oxygen changes into carbon dioxide."

Sugao glared at the doctor, "I don't care what's the explanation. The fact is that it happened. Minako's going to be transferred to Minato-ku Juban Hospital next morning at the latest. I don't want her to survive a plane crash and then die from poor hospital utilities."

"Of course we understand your concern. But the fact is that…"

The two walked away, leaving Rei with only one choice left. Alright, so it was against her nature to use senshi accessories for anything other than senshi duties, but her situation at hand was getting insane.

Slowly, she pulled out her cell phone and discreetly aimed it at one of the nurses.

---------------------------

"Minako, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're such a bad liar, you know?"

Minako ignored the comment, instead focusing on something incredibly interesting on her hands. Was it all just a dream? But at the moment she woke up, seeing those chocolate brown eyes on her own, she felt a familiar bitter sting at her heart. She had wanted to apologize then – apologize for all the things she said and done – but whenever she opened her mouth, another sob came out.

Was this her fate – to be denied of love even though she was its senshi? Was this the reason that she wasn't supposed to remember too much about her past life, because it would only bring sadness?

There came a light knock on the door. A nurse pushed in a tray of food.

"Aino-san, you're dinner's ready."

"Oh, please put it over there," Minako answered absently.

She kept on staring at her hands, recalling that elegant neck, the warmth of her breath in her ears…

_Wait! Since when did these nurses speak Japanese?_

Startled, Minako turned her attention to the nurse, whom, despite her tired expression, wore a slight smirk on her face. In any other situation Minako couldn't have contained her amusement: Rei looked absolutely adorable in the white overalls and it showed a sharp contrast to her normally darker cloths. But a rush of memories hit her, and Minako face immediately dropped.

Rei seemed to notice this sudden change in expression. Frowning slightly, she slowly approached the bed.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"She's been saying that to me all day," Artemis added frustratingly.

"Artemis!" Minako gave her charge a fiery glare, which made the plush cat cringe. He sighed helplessly and sharing one last, desperate look with Rei, as if begging her to crack open the idol's stubborn shell.

Rei shook her head. "Seriously, what happened?"

There was a small pause, with Minako staring into her hands, unable to meet Rei's eyes. Then she solidified her resolve and replied more firmly, "Like I said, nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"I see. So I guess 'nothing' could also describe the fact that your oxygen mask started pumping out carbon dioxide?"

"Oh, you heard about that?"

Something in her voice struck Rei the wrong way. Maybe it was because of her lack of sleep and food, but her temper flared up more than usual. Why was it that she, out of all people, had to hear about the accident through someone else? Why was she denied entrance, when even reporters got in to interview the idol? Weren't they closer than this?

"Why such a sore face? It was just an accident. See? I'm fine." Minako plastered a weak smile.

"I suppose."

"What's wrong? You don't look too good."

Rei held back from giving a sarcastic remark – somewhere along the lines of 'Look who's talking' – and replied, "Oh, just haven't been eating properly."

"Then why not buy some food?" came the obvious question.

Rei shot her friend a blank look. How could she be so dense? If Rei left the hospital, with the guards monitoring this place like the Emperor's Palace, she would have no chance of approaching Minako again, thus making her entire trip pointless. Did Minako think that she was on vacation in China?

But Rei would never utter those words, not now, not in a million years.

"Well, all I got was a couple thousand yen and I gave it all to the taxi driver, so…"

"I see. I'll tell Shacho to get you some food."

"I heard from Saitou-san that you're getting transferred to Minato-ku Juban Hospital."

"Hai, probably early next morning."

"I see."

The conversation stalled from there. Rei didn't admit it, but this was perhaps the most normal conversation they had had. Usually a simple greeting led to relentless teasing on both sides that it quickly becomes ridiculous. But now, Minako's mind was too far away that half of what Rei said never entered head. And Rei was too tired to think properly. She knew she was missing something important, but what?

--------------------------

(Tokyo)

"Hino-sensei, I've collected all the documents pertaining to the Home Improvement Bill."

"Good. Just put it on my desk."

"I also performed a rough search and it appears that no legal documents could block its passage."

"Thank you Aya. I'm just about finished here, so you can go home."

"Thank you very much. But…"

"Yes?"

"Pardon my curiosity, Hino-sensei, but how will Rei-sama be returning to Japan? I mean to say, we can't negotiate with a Chinese official, can we?"

The politician's eyes grew wide for an instant. Of course, how could he forget about that? He only gave Rei a ticket to go to China and completely ignored the return trip. Even if Rei had enough money to acquire one, she would never make it pass the Chinese customs because there's absolutely no record of Hino Rei entering China. And if the customs officer looked closer, he would realize that Rei didn't have a visa. She could get fined, or worse, jailed.

But he would never acknowledge his mistake; stubbornness was something that he and his daughter shared. Instead, he turned to the window and replied as simple as possible:

"That…would be up to her."

----------------------------

The chaotic noise penetrated the marble walls of the Moonlight Castle. Inside the main chamber, a great mass of men and women were assembled, bickering loudly among themselves. Sitting high up on the throne was a middle-aged man clothed in full body armor. Frowning slightly, he listened quietly to the suggestions put forth by his generals.

"I say we just slaughter the sailor senshi and create Crystal Tokyo by ourselves!"

"That's impossible. The Great Magician said we need the senshi's and the Princess' help to build Crystal Tokyo."

"I agree. Besides, we should not disobey the Magician. She who revived us could also un-revive us."

"That might be true, but how will we ever get the Princess to bow her head to us? The Princess now isn't the same klutz as she was when she was a child. She has followed her mother's footsteps and grown into a determined woman."

"Let us not forget that it was this Princess who destroyed her kingdom and ended the lives of her people simply because her love died. How can we trust such a childish and irresponsible person to rule us fairly?"

"Silence!" the Chief yelled over his subjects. The chamber became instantaneously dead silent. "Let us not forget several things. First, the Princess, Princess Serenity to be exact, is responsible for the death of her citizens and the end of the Silver Millennium. It has been established as an indisputable fact that she will be indeed an incapable ruler and that is why we are here to overthrow her. Second, in order to continue the legacies of our beloved ruler, Queen Serenity the Twenty-Sixth, Crystal Tokyo must be established which, according to the Revered Magician, requires the powers of the Princess and her senshi. Thus, we must first turn the sailor senshi against their princess. With the senshi on our side, the Princess will have no choice but to surrender her title as the future Queen Serenity the Twenty-Seventh. Any objections?"

The crowd remained silent until someone spoke up uncertainly.

"But, with all due respect, the details of the plan might be difficult to carry out. From what we know, the sailor senshi were extremely loyal to their princess. It would prove…"

"If it weren't difficult, then you wouldn't be needed here."

Everyone turned their attention to the two persons entering the room, one dressed in plain white and the other in silver armor. As they passed through the isle, the generals bowed their heads in respect.

"Ah, Svetu, Yuki! Welcome."

"Pardon my interruption, my lord," Svetu bowed deeply in front of the throne.

"But well-said, Svetu. Everyone must remember that our quest will be long and painful. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties that we're bound to encounter."

"Hai, my lord!" his subjects sung out in union.

"Now, I suppose you two have some good news?" the Chief asked.

"We have good news and some unexpected news. Which would you like first, my lord?" Yuki bowed.

"The good news first. Let's save the surprise for last."

"Of course. During the past month we have been tracking down information on the 21st century identities of the sailor senshi and it had been simpler than we thought. We know that each senshi had their specialties, for example, Sailor Mercury had wisdom while Sailor Jupiter had strength. We searched along those lines but unfortunately, it appeared that Jupiter wasn't involved in any kickboxing or weight lifting competitions and Venus hasn't entered in any beauty contests. But Yuki's search was more fruitful."

"I found an article two weeks ago stating that the Japanese prodigy Mizuno Ami had demonstrated surprising capabilities in the medical field despite her young age. I traced her background and found out where she attended middle school. Some of her old classmates confirmed that she had few friends besides Tsukino Usagi and Kino Makoto. Kino Makoto was very athletic and boyish, and she was known for getting into fights with high school kids. As for Tsukino Usagi, her name says it all. I broke into their homes and found pictures of Mizuno, Tsukino, Kino, and a fourth girl, Hino Rei. This last girl is a priestess and her spiritual sense caused her a lot of trouble back in middle school. This was all too far fetched to be a coincidence, so I reasoned that Hino is Mars, Mizuno is Mercury, Kino is Jupiter, and Tsukino, of course, is the Princess."

"Venus was the most difficult to track down," Svetu took over the narration. "There were articles of Sailor V, a mysterious soldier of justice, but unfortunately her identity was secret. After Yuki confirmed the identity of the other four senshi, I decided to spy on them, knowing that they would contact Venus sooner or later. It appeared that all four girls had connections with the Japanese pop star Aino Minako, who lived in London. In a letter to the star, Tsukino Usagi even wrote: 'It feels like the five of us haven't been together forever! Sometimes I wish we were fighting youmas again'.

"So after we found out their identities, me and Yuki decided to act yesterday because it was one week away from Jupiter's wedding and we figured that all of the senshi would be gathered for this event."

"Jupiter?"

"No way!"

"I always thought that Venus would be the first."

Murmurs broke out around the room. The Chief too was filled with curiosity.

"Who will be the groom?" he asked Svetu.

"You might not believe it, but it's Motoki."

"Who?"

"The supreme commander of Jupiter's armed forces, later the second-in-command of Her Majesty's Royal Army. His name was also Motoki in the past life."

"Oh yes, I remember. Hmm, what an interesting twist. But do continue the story."

"Yes, my lord. When the planned day approached it was clear that Venus wouldn't be back in Tokyo. That was for the best since she remembers the most of the past life and might see through our plan. However, early yesterday morning she decided to fly to Tokyo immediately from London. Luckily Yuki was following her this whole time and had her plane crash."

"Oh, I heard something about Aino Minako's plane crashing."

"It was all on the radio!"

"So that's what happened."

"And all this time I thought it was an accident."

The generals whispered to each other, but were silenced when the Chief lifted his hand.

Svetu continued, "I created an illusion that whenever people entered a certain building, they would lose all their energy and collapse. It was all fake, but the sailor senshi were stupid enough to fall for it. While they were busy hauling the illusions out of the building, I froze them and placed the memory gem in Motoki. If all's going well, he should be joining us in a matter of days."

"Well done. Motoki seems to be the last high ranking commander of the Moon Kingdom to join us. This is all wonderful news."

"My lord, you have forgotten the surprise," Yuki reminded him.

"You're right. Go on, then."

Yuki and Svetu looked at each other doubtfully.

Svetu ventured on, "I do not know a better way to describe this to you, but the sailor senshi are not senshi anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"The senshi in the past life were senshi day and night," Yuki explained. "But in the present, they need to transform in order to obtain their senshi powers. In other words, they have no power whatsoever in their civilian form. Yesterday, none of them transformed to their senshi selves, and we fear that they have lost that capability."

"That's ridiculous. How can you lose something that you're born with?"

"We're not sure, my lord. It could be temporary loss or that they wanted us to believe that they cannot transform."

"No matter what, Yuki, I want you to investigate into this matter. And Svetu, please continue awaken our comrades for now. Leave the sailor senshi alone for a while. Hopefully I will soon get words from the Revered Magician about our next steps."

"We understand."

-----------------------------

(Qingdao)

"Ano, Minako-chan…" Amachachi said uncertainly, trailing behind the idol.

"Hai?"

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you don't have to walk."

"I'm fine. I feel like moving around a bit. The hospital made me stiff."

"Then let me take your luggage. You shouldn't overdo yourself."

"Thank you, Suyo-chan, but I would prefer to handle it myself. The contents are quite confidential."

"But even so…"

"Finally got it all figured out," Sugao muttered under his breath as he caught up with the other two. "These people gotta learn how to interpret sign language."

"Shacho, so where should we be going?" Minako asked.

"Well, this airport isn't that big and there's only one terminal for private jets, which should be…Kami! Minako! Why are you standing on the ground, and hauling such a huge suitcase? The doctors told you not to move around too much. Amachachi, don't just stand there! Get her a…a wheelchair or something."

"Hai!"

"And take that suitcase too! It's too big to be carried onto the plane."

"But Shacho!" Minako stepped protectively in front her luggage. "It's confidential and very fragile. I need to keep it with me."

"Well then, put some locks on it and tell the baggage people to handle it with care, Amachachi, if they understand that is."

"I got it," Amachachi picked up the suitcase and made a painful face. "Man! It's heavy. What did you put in there, Minako-chan? A human being?"

"Eh?!" Swallowing nervously, she tried to avert his questioning gaze.

"Come on," Sugao pushed her forward while Amachachi carried the suitcase in the opposite direction. "We should get going too. And don't worry about your confidential stuff too much. It's safe with the rest of our luggage."

"Demo…" Minako watched her baggage drifting away helplessly.

_Gomen ne._

To be continued…

---------------------

AN: Just watched PGSM all over again to make sure I get the details right. Amachachi is…I don't know how you'll call him…her personal driver and chaperon? He was in ep. 11 and 29.


	7. Our First Kiss! Rei's Memories

AN: fyi, my version of the Moon's army is basically divided into two parts: there's the general army and the royal army. General Army is responsible for defense and conquering new states. Royal army basically protects the royal family and is the smaller of the two, with the senshi obviously a part, but not all, of the royal army. 'The Chief' is supreme commander of general army, with Svetu as second-in-command. Yuki is commander of royal army, with Motoki as second-in-command. The Chief also has superior status over Yuki, but the senshi are basically higher than all of them cuz they are princesses.

Special thanx: Venus Reiko, TheSkyIsCalling, Lokiador, Blaire. U guys know why. Also big thanx to all my reviewers. I know the update was slow; thanks for bearing w/ me!

DC: just don't sue me

------------------------------

"Still worrying about your luggage, Minako?"

The woman in question immediately turned to face the front of the plane. Feigning nonchalance, she causally shrugged her shoulders.

"No, it's just…Shacho, can I go check on it? The contents are very important."

"Nonsense. The plane's about to take off. You shouldn't get out of your seat."

"Hai…"

-------------------------------

(Meanwhile, in the rear of the plane)

The airport crew had been warned in advance that they should handle all of Aino Minako's personal belongings with extreme care, so even though Amachachi failed to communicate with the crew, Minako's confidential travel bag was placed carefully placed on the lower shelf and securely locked up.

As the plane continued its ascent, the bag began to slowly rock back and forth. There was a soft yell of frustration, and the bag remained still thereafter.

"Damn it! They really did put a lock on it. Great move, Minako. Not only did you fit me inside a luggage bag, you also got me stuck here for the remainder of our pleasant flight."

"Oh cheer up, Mars. It's only for an hour. Besides, you've got me company."

"Artemis! You're not helping either. Why did you have to be in here too? You're taking up the precious little space that I have."

"Hey! I'm curled up as best as I can; my tail's getting squished."

"Well, for your information, I'M GETTING SQUISHED."

"Save your breath, Mars. You're using up all this valuable oxygen with your anger."

"Oh, and why would you care? You're from the Moon. The Moon! You don't need to breathe!"

"Wait a minute. Stop taking it out on poor little me. It wasn't me who got you into this. This isn't fair."

"Right. It wasn't you. Arg! Why did I let her talk me into this? And 'This is very fragile and confidential'" Rei imitated Minako's voice. "Well now she wouldn't be afraid of her precious personal belongings getting stolen, 'cause it can't even get out!"

"You're being unfair again," Artemis instantly jumped to Minako's defense. "She's only doing this so that you can get back to Tokyo. You don't have a visa, remember? Besides, she meant to keep us with her and let us out once we got on the plane."

"Well, that last part backfired, didn't it?" Rei stated the obvious.

Suddenly there were footsteps approaching in their direction. The two instantaneously halted their bickering and held their breath, hoping that it was just a flight attendant passing by. But to their worst fear, the person stopped in front of their hiding place and after several moments began slowly unlocking the luggage bag.

Rei gulped. Artemis stayed still, returning to the role of a plush toy.

The zippers slid apart and the first rays of sunshine entered, making the two, who had spent two hours in darkness, cover their eyes.

Rei waited, praying that this was Minako.

Finally, the lid was lifted open. When Rei dared to lift her hands away from shielding her eyes, she was met with an equally frightened and confused face.

"So I guess the first part of the plan backfired too," Rei heard Artemis whisper softly into her ear and resisted the urge to smack the cat and hang him by his tail.

An awkward silence ensued, with neither party knowing exactly what to say. At last, the flight attendant stuttered:

"I…I didn't…I mean, Aino-san told me to unlock her bag and so…but then I heard, no I thought I heard noises so I thought I should check up on it and, and…honestly I didn't know that…I didn't mean to…"

Rei breathed a sigh of relief, watching the attendant struggling to find the correct words to say. From the looks of things the shocked attendant wasn't about to run off screaming that a person's hiding in Aino-san's luggage. Rei looked around to see if anyone else was nearby; finding none, she whispered:

"It's alright. I'm glad you got me out anyways. Go tell Minako that her 'confidential belongings' are safe and doing well."

"Nani?" the attendant's eyes grew wide. "You want me to tell Aino-san that?"

"Hai."

"So she knows you're here?"

Rei gave him a confused look. "Of course she did. She stuffed me in here in the first place."

The attendant put two and two together and sighed in relief. "Oh, I see. Thank goodness! I thought…oh never mind."

Rei watched the attendant's reaction and, thinking back to the situation seconds ago, understood immediately. "You thought," Rei began slowly, "that I was a terrorist or something, right?"

"No! Of course not. Well, maybe at the beginning. It's just that the police have been saying that Aino-san's accident was a planned attack and that the primary suspect is the pilot because they couldn't find any trace of him after the accident. So when I found you, I just got really scared."

Rei smiled, "Don't worry. Just go thank Minako for having you getting me out of there. Oh, and one more thing…"

----------------------------

"Aino-san?" the flight attendant called.

"Hai?"

"Your…err…'confidential belongings' wants to inform you that she, no, that it is doing fine."

Minako immediately pressed a finger to her lips and mentioned for the attendant to be quiet. Glancing over at Sugao and Amachachi, she was surprised that both were immersed in their work to notice the conversation.

"Did she—"

"If you're wondering whether she needs anything in particular, she said she was okay."

"I see. And did you hear—"

"Her complain? No. She said that it was even between you guys as long as she gets back to Japan."

Minako let out a shaky breath. So her worst fear didn't come true after all; at least Hino Rei was a lot more reasonable that her past counterpart. No matter what happened between them during the Silver Millennium, Minako didn't want to carry their misunderstanding into the present as well. Perhaps Mars and Venus weren't meant to be together, but Aino Minako and Hino Rei would remain friends no matter what—that, Minako had to make sure. But as for anything beyond friendship, it was already decided by fate.

After a pause, Minako continued, "Could you go down there again and tell her—"

"No need, Aino-san. She said she would stay there until the plane lands."

Turning to regard the attendant more closely, Minako tilted her head in confusion. "How could you read my mind like that?"

"Oh that. Let's just say that a certain priestess told me exactly what to say," she winked at the idol and walked away, letting the amused smile that she had been holding in bloom widely across her face.

_Whoever that woman is, she must be really close to Aino-san, to know her so well like that._

-------------------------

"Well, that was interesting—"

"Shhh!"

"Nani? What's wrong, Artemis?"

"Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"Ticking, from over there," the plush cat had his eyes on a small green military bag half hidden in the corner of the storage room.

"This?" Rei picked up the bag and put it close to her ears. "You're right. Maybe it's a clock."

Artemis climbed onto Rei's shoulder and inspected the container closely. "I donno, Mars, but something doesn't feel right. Why would someone put a clock inside a bag and hide it behind all the other luggage?"

"You're overanalyzing it. It must be for some special circumstance—just like how we had to cramp into that travel bag."

"Hmm, perhaps I'm overanalyzing. But I can bet my whiskers that it sounds like…"

"Like?"

Artemis looked at Rei silently, his eyes narrowed, and Rei automatically gasped.

"No…that's…how could it get up here, with all those security?"

"It's just my guess. We'll have to open it."

"Demo…"

"Mars! If we don't find out, the plane could, well, you know! "

Gathering up her resolve, Rei unzipped the mysterious package with shaky hands and cautiously peeped inside, frightened that it might go off if she lifted the lid completely. Surely, there it was, just as Artemis conjectured.

_20:48_

_20:47_

_20:46_

_20:45_

_Shit!_

"Mars, what's in it?" Seeing Rei's countenance turn dark, Artemis asked urgently.

"It's…you're right. And we have twenty minutes before it…"

_Goes off._ Rei finished mentally.

"That's big trouble. Oh man! what should we do?"

_20:44_

_20:43_

_20:42_

Watching the timer count down, Rei made her decision.

"Wait here," Rei instructed, placing Artemis and the dangerous package aside. With what was left of her energy, she raced down towards the body of the plane in full speed. But before she even took ten strides, she bumped into…

"Nani?!"

"Watch out!"

…and landed on something incredibly soft.

-----------------------

"Man! If only I can turn into a human like Luna," Artemis yanked at one of the wires of the bomb with his teeth. "I can't disable this in cat form! Whatever Mars's doing, she'd better hurry up."

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." There was a sneer, followed by the appearance of the speaker, whose white cape almost reached the entire width of the storage room.

"You!"

"Yes, me. It's been a while, Artemis. I'm honored that you still remember me."

"You placed the bomb here? What are you after, you monster!"

"That would be Yuki-san to you. Forgetting our manners, are we? Oh well, that can come later. First, you'll have to pardon my rudeness."

"Hey, what are you doing? Matte!"

In a swift motion Yuki swept up the bomb and Artemis, and together they disappeared, leaving behind only an empty military bag rolling on the floor.

------------------------

_Nani? What was that?_

It took all of Rei's remaining patience to hold in her anger. Why couldn't whoever bumped into her watch where she was going? Rei had no time to waste. Twenty minutes, she kept on reminding herself.

_No, it's probably eighteen now, all thanks to this klutz. Seriously, if anyone deserved to be Usagi's twin, she'll be the one and only._

Taking a deep breath, Rei once again reminded herself of her situation at hand; this was not the time to fuss over such trivial matters. She had to get to Minako, to Sugao, to the captain of the plane…

So Rei swallowed her pride and decided to apologize to avoid any time-consuming arguments. But when she looked down, it had never occurred to Rei that she could have ran into her.

Minako.

Her lungs voluntarily gave away: Rei held her breath without even realizing. The beauty she witnessed underneath her was practically indescribable. This was the first time that Rei had had the chance, the courage, to observe Minako at such a short distance. Their faces were so close—too close—that Rei could feel streams of warmth tickling past her ear. Closing her eyes, Rei tried in vain to make sense of everything, to push away those unwanted emotions. What was she about to do? Oh yeah, apologize. For what? Well, that…she couldn't remember. And wasn't there something important that she had to do? Something extremely urgent?

Twenty minutes.

Of course! The bomb! How could she forget that? Mentally slapping herself, Rei opened her mouth to speak.

"Minako, I…"

Her newly-retrieved thoughts vanished again as she felt a hand gently stroking her hair and following the outline of her jaw until a finger landed on her lips. Rei felt her body go rigid at the touch, but couldn't find the strength to fight it. Struggling to gain control of herself, Rei opened her eyes, but was instead drown in a pair of deep brown orbs. There were confusion, doubt, fear, but beyond all of that, there was a slight trace of hope.

_Why does all feel so familiar? Why can't I think? What's going on?_

Rei felt her head beginning to hurt and for a second everything went black.

----------------------

_The sun had begun its descent towards the horizon. In a remote part of the southern palace, there came several soft pants followed by a series of clashing noises. As soon as they died down, more panting filled the gap._

"_You swing too far to the left. I thought Yuki just corrected you this morning."_

"_Yuki, Yuki. That's all you talk about these days. Aren't you growing just a bit too attached to her?" I said annoyingly. _

_Venus perked up an eyebrow. "Did I just hear jealousy? She's our instructor; of course we would be close."_

"_Instructor? That kid just practically rolled her way out of the slums and Her Majesty already promoted her to the position of two-star general! Hell, she doesn't even have any combating experience yet! No way is she my instructor."_

"_Well as it stands now, her skills are better than any of us senshi, so there's no reason to complain. But you haven't answered my question yet: are you jealous?" she persisted._

_I gulped. It wasn't _that_ obvious, was it? But on the surface I merely shrugged my shoulders. "I just don't like her style. Someday I'll show her."_

"_Mars, let's face it. You're only mad because we don't get to pick our own weapons."_

_Now she hit the spot; I could feel myself burning inside. "Not only don't we get to pick our own weapons, _she_ has to pick it for us. And you know what she told me this morning? She said I don't function well with shorter weapons."_

"_Which is precisely why we're out here," Venus reminded me, "to improve your skills with swords. You've had your eyes on the twin swords for a long time, haven't you?" _

_I froze, my sword in midair. Again, she seemed to know exactly what's on my mind. Am I so bad at keeping secrets, or can she read me like a book? Then does that mean she knows everything that I'm thinking, even…even that?_

_As if unaware of my surprise, she continued, "By the way, to let you in on a little secret," she gave me a small wink. "I've been thinking about those twin swords too. They would be a perfect match for my chain, don't you think?"_

_She paused, waiting for me to take the challenge. Though I knew that she set me up again, I couldn't back down. Offering a small smirk, I raised my sword to ready-position. "What a coincidence," I said sarcastically. "But you should know: only one of us is going to get it."_

"_Then, good luck Mars Reiko-san." She returned me the sweetest smile. _

_Resuming from where we left off, Venus launched a series of attacks, which so closely followed one another that I barely had the time to blink my eyes. I silently commented on her skills, though I would rather eat my tongue than to voice it aloud. As one of her swings came close to my waist, I blocked it head on, and took advantage of that split second to duck under and roll behind her. She gave me an impressed look, to which I merely shrugged. _

_Grasping the perfect opportunity, I started my counteroffensive, pressing her further and further off the pavement. She seemed to have guessed what I was trying to achieve. In a swift move, she cleared my attacks and ran into the Royal Forest to my left. Confused at why she would want to go in there, I had no choice but to race after her. It took no time to catch up to her, probably because the soft soil made it hard for her to run fast._

"_What are you doing?" I called after her. "We're not allowed to be in here."_

_Ignoring my question, she continued deeper into the forbidden zone. Just when I was within an arm's reach of her, she performed a stunt that only our Princess could have pulled of, or at least that's what I thought until now: she tripped on a small root sticking out of the ground, causing me to trip on her legs. Together we fell to the ground._

_When the dust cleared, I looked around. The forest was devoid of movement. _

"_You're lucky that no one heard that scream of yours," I sighed. "We would both be in so much trouble. Let's get out of –"_

_As I tried to pull myself off the ground—and off of Venus—I felt a pair of hands on my neck that held me in place. Looking back down, I saw her smile innocently up at me, but her eyes glowed with something not so innocent. Was it love? Lust? I couldn't tell because her hands took up all of my attention. One hand moved up to the back of my head while the other trailed up my jaw and landed on my lips. Grinning, she simply lifted her head and closed the distance between us._

_My head had stopped spinning a while ago and before I even figured out what was happening, she already pulled away._

_There was a brief silence between us while I tried to recollect my thoughts and regain control. She let me take my time, though her hands never stayed still for a second. Shuddering at the sensations those talented fingers sent through my body, I finally managed to find my voice._

"_Did you," I asked breathlessly, for I hadn't noticed that I held my breath, "come in here just so that you can have something to trip on?"_

_She never answered, but merely pulled me down again. It was the most tender response that I could ever receive. I smiled against her lips, taking in her scent…_

--------------------------

"Rei? Rei!"

"What happened?" Rei slowly sat up.

"We bumped into each other and then you fainted. And then…"

"And then what?"

Minako looked away.

_And then, we…_

Pushing that thought out of her mind, Minako said with conviction, "And then you woke up. Daijobu?"

"I…ah…" Rei stuttered. "My head's all dizzy. I don't remember anything. There was a forest and…and I tripped and…and…"

"Nani?"

"No, no, that's not it. What was it?" Rei panicked, a thousand thoughts spinning around inside her head. "Oh right! Minako, you have to tell the pilot to land the plane now! There's a bomb in the luggage bags."

"A bomb! Where?"

"Right there, in that green bag," Rei pointed.

Minako carefully walked over and picked it up. "It's empty," she frowned. "Are you hallucinating?"

"What, empty? How could that happen? I swear I saw it. And Artemis too. Artemis? Artemis? Where did that cat go?"

----------------------------

(At about the same time)

"Motoki-kun! You're awake!"

Through half-closed eyes, Motoki looked around his room.

"How long was I out for?"

"About a day. How are you feeling? Do you remember anything?" Mamoru asked.

"No. I was waiting for Mako-chan to get home and then…I can't remember. What happened to me? Ah! Ami-chan! What happened to your arm?"

Ami looked down at the scratch and shook her head with a forced smile. "It's nothing."

"Don't you remember, Motoki-kun?" Makoto asked uncertainly.

"Remember what?" He looked around the room again, and finding all eyes on him, voiced his guess, "It can't be that…I did it?...to Ami-chan?"

------------------------------

"Put me down, you traitor!!" Artemis yelled.

Ignoring her prisoner, Yuki slowly paced around the cell.

"What a close call. Who would have guessed that Sailor Mars would hide in a bag? If that flight attendant didn't come when she did, the bomb would have gone off and Mars would have been killed. Not that I don't want her dead, I just can't risk Crystal Tokyo."

"Were you the one who made Minako's plane crash the first time? What are you after?!"

"What am I after? Oh Artemis, you should know exactly what I'm after. You are the only one among all of the senshi, even Luna, who retained the memory of our past life. I'm out for revenge, to hurt those who had hurt me."

"But why? You weren't like this before! I always looked up to you. You weren't like this at all."

"Wasn't I? Maybe I appeared loyal to the Princess and the senshi on the surface, but I had always sought for more power so that I could do myself justice. And now that I'm revived along with the Chief, my lord, I can get that power."

"But Yuki!"

"Shh! Do you hear that?"

Artemis listened carefully, but could only detect a soft humming noise that was growing closer every second. Yuki, on the other hand, turned to the center of the cell and kneeled on one knee, her face displaying nothing other than great homage and gratitude.

"The Great Magician! Our Savior!"

A bright light appeared in front of Yuki and a woman with long floating hair took form. She stepped onto the floor, but her face was covered by a mystical shadow that descended down to her waist. Turning to the still kneeling Yuki, she spoke in a soft yet authoritative tone.

"Thank you for bringing Artemis here like I had asked. Please leave us. I want a word with him alone."

"Of course," Yuki bowed low and walked out of the room.

Stepping closer to the white plush cat, the mysterious woman lowered her voice. "Do you remember me, Artemis?"

With a light wave of her hand, the shadow slowly lifted off, revealing a sailor fuku and a long staff in the woman's right hand.

"Sailor…Pluto…So you were the one behind this!"

To be continued…

-----------------------------


	8. Sailor Pluto: An Enemy or Ally?

AN: Lately I've gotten into the habit of replying reviews. I mean, if u guys could spare 5sec to tell me what u think, I should get back to u, ne? It's only fair this way.

-------------------------------

"Sailor…Pluto…So you were the one behind this!"

Pluto closed her eyes. "I'm surprised that you just realized now. After all, I'm the guardian of time, the only person capable of manipulating the Time Stream."

"Hai, you're the only one who could call forth the buried memories of those who lived during the Silver Millennium. Then, you're the one who returned Minako's memories too."

"I'm in the process of awakening all of the senshi's memories. They're all slowly making sense of their past life, and just like Venus, they'll be confused. It's up to them to decide what to do with their memories—whether to ignore them or chase after them."

"Demo…Doshite? You're disobeying Her Majesty's final wishes. Before the Final Battle, the Queen entrusted to us that we let those who were reborn on Earth live as freely as possible because she didn't want to burden them with the memories of their past. Though all of Her Majesty's court was reborn, only the sailor senshi were given partial memories because of Queen Beryl. And we only limited those memories to the Final Battle. So why are you completely returning their memories now? Have you forgotten Her Majesty's orders?"

Shaken by his questions, Pluto momentarily let the flood of memories that she had suppressed for centuries flash across her mind, and if not for all the endurance training she had gone through, she was sure that she would crumble inside; however, no tears formed. For the first time, she wondered if she had truly lost the capability to feel. She looked down at her hands, once again remembering how cold the Queen's hands felt as she grasped onto her with the last bit of strength, uttering her final commands:

'_Pluto…the future…let them have a new life, free from the turmoil of their past…'_

'_Your Majesty…'_

'_And the Princess…Serenity…look after Serenity for me…'_

'_I will protect the Princess with my life.'_

'_Then there's nothing more that I can ask for. Goodbye Pluto…my friend…'_

Looking back at Artemis, Pluto answered firmly, "No, I have not forgotten. I never planned to return their memories, but with Queen Beryl's interference, I had to partially restore their memories. However, now the senshi are confused because there are blank-spots that they don't understand from their past. What's more, they're not prepared for the future ahead of them, the future of Crystal Tokyo."

"Crystal Tokyo?"

"Yes. Just like her mother, Princess Serenity will one day rule the Earth with her husband and her mother's court, who will be awakened once the Princess takes the throne. But in preparation, the Princess will need to go through more training in order to execute her duties. That goes for the senshi as well."

"Hold on, let me get this straight. You awakened the Queen's court a lot earlier just so that you can set up a training session?"

Pluto smiled faintly, "Wrong again. I only did so for the Princess' safety."

"What do you mean? For the Princess?"

"That I cannot explain. But from now on I want you to keep your knowledge of the past a secret from the senshi."

"What?! How do you expect me to keep my mouth shut about something that they ask me about almost every day?"

"That's something you'll have to figure out. The senshi need to deal with their pasts on their own. Every senshi has something to improve on, and while straightening their past lives, they'll encounter their weaknesses. Only after truly overcoming these obstacles will they be prepared for the future ahead. I absolutely forbid you to assist them in any way. I know you have grown exceptionally close to Venus, but you must hide the truth from her as well. If someone asks you about anything concerning the Silver Millennium, you mustn't explain anything. This is an order."

"I'll try," Artemis stuttered. "But is there another reason for restoring their memories? Especially _her_ memory?"

The woman's eyes widened in shock and her hands gripped the Time Staff tighter. Artemis noted this change quickly enough. But as soon as it happened, Pluto was composed again. "No, of course not."

"If you say so…"

"Artemis, always remember not to mention anything about the past, about me, or about this meeting. I trust you to do so because I know you're very good with secrets. That's why the Queen didn't erase your memories. Luna, on the other hand…"

"I know, Pluto, I know."

"Good. I'll send you back to where Yuki took you. I'm counting on you, Artemis."

-----------------------------

"Artemis! Where have you been?"

"Well," Artemis rubbed his paws together nervously. "That's a long story. More importantly, what happened to the bomb?"

"I was going to ask you that. It disappeared, just like that! I thought that you disposed it somewhere."

"Hmm, Yuki must have taken it with her when…" Artemis thought aloud.

"Nani?"

"Huh? Oh, well, you see…"

"Artemis, you're hiding something, aren't you?"

"…sort of…no! I'm not hiding anything. It's just…"

Just when Artemis couldn't make up any more excuses, a loud crash echoed through the body of the plane, followed by a loud scream of frustration. Artemis looked at Rei puzzlingly, and she only sighed.

"It's probably Minako's Shacho-san, just finding out that I don't have a visa. Everything's a mess now."

"Then he found out that you've been hiding in her bag all along?"

Rei nodded, "He wasn't pleased when he saw me."

----------------------------

"MINAKO!"

"Hai, Shacho?"

"You…I can't believe…I mean, a suitcase? How could you even…no, let's forget that. Minako, what you did is absolutely-completely-outrageously illegal! You aided someone who doesn't have a visa go across the border! You can get arrested, jailed, and…oh Kami, what would the press say? Something like 'Minako's real face exposed'. Did you ever consider the consequences, ever?"

"Eh? Is it that serious?"

"OF COURSE it's that serious! What did you think?"

"Demo, she didn't have the right to be in China anyways, so I'm assisting the authorities by returning her to Japan."

Defeated, Sugao sighed, "Look, even if you don't get in trouble for this, she will. The Japanese-Chinese customs is in Japan, and they'll catch her there. Whatever happens, we can't let your fans know that you hang around lawbreakers. It'll drop your popularity. Man, what should I do? Throw her back to China?"

"But she went through all the trouble just to see me! It's not like she's a criminal or something."

"Maybe. But breaking laws just to see a friend?" he pondered under his breath. "Masaka, it'll make her sound like Minako's lov…of course! I got it!"

"Eh?"

"Listen, Minako. If you don't want your precious friend thrown out of this plane, you'd better do exactly what I say. Okay?"

"…Hai…" Minako nodded hesitantly.

----------------------------------

Yuki waited patiently outside like the Magician had asked her to. Despite her respect for the woman, Yuki was beginning to feel uneasy. She wanted to speak to the Magician again, to express her endless gratitude for a second chance. Ever since she regained her memories, she had an unexplainable knowledge that she did something wrong in her past life. The Magician had given her another chance to repent for her misconduct, and for that Yuki was extraordinarily grateful.

_Undoubtedly, my greatest wrongdoing was to believe in that Princess. In the end she still destroyed the world. The only way to purify myself is to follow the Chief, the true leader._

"Yuki?" a voice beckoned from within. "Please come in."

"Hai!"

Again kneeling down in front of the Magician, Yuki felt a change sweep across her being. Although she couldn't see her face, Yuki felt an undeniable sad aurora surrounding the shadowy figure. Just as she was about to voice her concern, the Magician turned abruptly and addressed her:

"Let's just keep Artemis's visit between you and I. Don't mention it to anyone else."

"Where's that cat?"

"I let him go."

"What! I was going to question him about the senshi's transformations."

"He knows nothing about that. But if you are curious, the Ginzishou was smashed into pieces when the Princess revived the world she destroyed. Since the senshi's powers come from the Crystal, they have lost the ability to transform."

"Forever?" Yuki panicked. "Then, the future, Crystal Tokyo, would be jeopardized!"

"No."

"No?"

"There's another way. They're missing a small detail. Soon—very soon—Mercury will figure it out."

Yuki discreetly raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear a small trace of pride ooze out the Magician's voice. Normally the mysterious woman remained so calm that one can hardly detect any emphasis in her speech. Maybe that cat brought back some emotions in her?

"Until then," she continued, her voice leveled again. "You should launch some mild assaults on the senshi. Tell the Chief to be patient. Once they're pushed to the limit, they'll find what they're missing."

"You will not be speaking to the Chief today?"

"No. I have…other business to attend to."

"Wagata. Ja, have a pleasant day."

"Yuki…"

"Hai?"

"I just…no, it's nothing."

_I'm sorry for putting you through this…_

----------------------------------

"Just remember, no matter what I say, you two just smile and nod. One word, Mars Reiko-chan, and I'm handing you over to the Chinese government. Is that clear?" Sugao stared sternly at Rei.

"Hai."

"Okay!" he gave on his cheeky smiles. "And you too, Minako. Remember what I told you. Don't get yourself into more trouble."

"Hai, Shacho."

Slowly the trio made their way off the plane, where someone was already waiting for them.

"Sugao-chan! What a surprise to see you here!"

"Ah, Ryo-kun, what a coincidence! Minako, Ryo-kun is the owner of this private airport. We used to go to elementary school together. He was the top student of our graduating class, ne Ryo-kun?"

"Oh you flatter me, Sugao-chan."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ryo-san," Minako said politely.

"The pleasure is mine," Ryo replied. "But if you don't mind me saying, Aino-san, you don't look well."

Minako smiled weakly and, as Sugao had instructed her earlier, immediately pressed her free hand on her temple, feigning pain.

"She just hasn't recovered, you know, from the accident and all," Sugao caught on; everything was working according to plan. "And the plane ride was giving her a headache, so I thought it was best to let her off earlier and get to the hospital by car. Besides, there's going to be a crowd of reporters at the New Tokyo International Airport and Minako's definitely not in the condition to answer their questions."

"Ah, I see. I was wondering why you chose to land here instead of the Tokyo Airport. Then…oh, who's this?" Ryo turned his attention to Rei, who supported the idol by the waist with one hand while holding her hand with the other. Rei was getting increasingly uncomfortable being so close to Minako, but in order to return home safely, she was willing to put up with a few minutes of awkwardness.

"She's Minako's personal hair stylist," Sugao jumped in to explain. "But to let you in on a little secret…"

At this point he leaned in and whispered something in Ryo's ear. Ryo let out a small gasp and after looking at Rei more closely, whispered something back to Sugao. The conversation continued in a hushed manner for several minutes, during which Ryo's eyes danced frequently from Rei to Minako and back to the former. The two women shared a clueless look, but on the inside each half-guessed what Sugao's plan was.

"Demo," Sugao finally broke their secret conversation, "Let's just keep that a secret between the two of us, ne? It won't be pleasant if the press finds out."

Ryo laughed, "No, I suppose not. Well, in that case, I'll let them go through. But Sugao-chan, you've gotta guarantee that I'm not doing something illegal here."

"Of course it's perfectly legal. They've all passed the customs so many times that even the officers there don't even bother to ask any questions. I'm taking their luggage to the Tokyo Airport, so it's not like they're trying to smuggle drugs."

"Well, I didn't mean it that way. Look, I don't want any trouble around here, so if you keep this business a secret, then I'll forget that you ever told me about Aino Minako's relatio—"

"Shhh! Not so loud," Sugao warned. "But it's a deal."

"In that case, Aino-san and umm…" Ryo looked at Sugao.

"Hino Rei."

"Right, Hino-san. Just follow this man and he'll take you to the exit," Ryo gestured at one of the two men standing behind him.

Only after the two had been escorted out of the airport and Minako's jet took off again did Ryo spoke to the other man with him.

"What do you think?"

"I knew I could count on you, Ryo-kun, giving us a call right after you found out that Aino Minako's plane would be landing here. I was only looking for some update on her condition, but instead landed on the biggest catch of my life! Aino Minako in a love affair…and with a woman! This is gonna be headline news!"

"I did what I can. The rest is up to you."

"Don't you worry, Ryo-kun. My cameraman took plenty of pictures from your office and now all we need is a catchy title followed by a juicy story. Hmm, Hino Rei, Senator Hino's daughter. Who would have guessed?"

"She's definitely got the status."

"No surprise there, I mean, we're talking about Aino Minako here out of all people. I wonder how long they managed to keep, you know, their relationship a secret."

"Relationship? What relationship? I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Oh right, I completely forgot."

Laughing, the two men walked inside.

To be continued…

-------------------------------


	9. Little Crystal Tokyo

AN: so I know I told some of u that I'll update by Friday, but truth is there was some family issues and I didn't feel like writing for some time. No need to elaborate. But now that I'm back I present you an extra long chapter to make up for the somewhat crappy chapter 8 that I put together too hastily. So please enjoy!

---------------------------

"That Shacho Of Yours," Rei squeezed out between clenched teeth, her eyebrows bridging together under the intense frown that she wore. "The next time I see him, he's gonna get… "

Trailing behind the angry priestess, Minako was lost in thought and Rei's rambling stopped entering her head. Sure she wasn't pleased with her Shacho either, but given the circumstances that he was operating under, his decision appeared reasonable no matter which side she looked at it. However the real mystery was walking in front of her. Why would Rei be so worked up about something like this? Surely if she had picked up any magazine within the past six years, she would have read something about the various 'romantic relationships' Minako was 'involved' in, to paraphrase the words of the journalists who have nothing better to do than to spread rumors about every idol on the globe. These news articles usually stir up some flames for a short while, then quickly die down and became so forgotten that people would never remember that they existed. All Rei had to endure would be a few days of relentless questioning, after which the reporters would move on to some other headline news.

_What am I thinking? It's not even hitting the media,_ she reminded herself. _I must be going crazy too._

So it all came back to the original question: why was Rei upset? Shacho knows the truth; they themselves know too; so the only person who was convinced about the lie was Ryo-san. Considering that it's Rei, the person who never cared what others thought of her, Minako was even more puzzled. Unless…the only possible explanation…

That it wasn't a lie?

That Shacho had hit the target?

That Rei, possibly…?

"I can't believe he said THAT about us. About US!" Rei continued, never stopping to take some breath.

"Is it bad?"

"Eh?" Came the quiet reply to the quiet question.

Rei halted but didn't dare to turn around. After a long period of silence from Minako, Rei began to doubt her hearing. Perhaps she was too nervous and too agitated that she had hallucinations. The logical part of her, which has been diminishing for the past several days, knew that she was overreacting; but logic be damned! Standing so close to Minako, holding her almost drove her over the edge. At this rate her sanity would be at stake.

The two women frozen on the ground and the thick tension building between them caused a lot of attention from others passing by. Luckily Minako had her normal black cap on to hide her identity, but on the inside she would rather be swarmed with fans than watching Rei's backside without knowing exactly what to say next. She couldn't even believe that she had voiced the question aloud. With the help of those memories she had uncovered recently, she had been overanalyzing everything about Rei: how many times she looked at her, how she called her name, how fast she walked… Perhaps Venus' old feelings are resurfacing, but every little detail about Rei seemed to suggest to her traces of affection. Minako knew that it was foolish to be so convinced; however, somewhere in the back of her mind, she hoped that she didn't misinterpret her friend's accelerating heartbeat when she held her by the hand, the small blush that crept onto her cheeks when Minako leaned against her arm. At that moment, that familiar warm feeling in Minako's heart told her that she longed for her Rei to hold her like that again; at the same time, she dreaded the experience because their relationship, as settled by their past lives, was doomed from the beginning.

Sighing inwardly, Minako decided on the best way to answer Rei's question.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Eh?" Rei spun around. "Wasn't it you who just—"

_Ding_

Rei shivered; her sensitivity of detecting enemies, after being dormant for over two years, once again alerted her of incoming danger. Looking around frantically, she observed nothing out of the ordinary. But just before she dropped her guard,

_Ding_

There it was again. Now she was truly worried. In the old days she could have simply found some isolated place and transformed into Sailor Mars and kicked the bad guys' butts. However that was out of question. Despite that, she was confident in her skills as a priestess to take care of ordinary youmas, and her only concern was to take Minako, who still had unhealed wounds, to a safe place.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Minako observed her friend worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Rei lied. "Ano, I just realized that there's something I forgot to do, so please go ahead to the hospital without me."

"Rei…"

"Really, just go on without me. I'll drop by later, okay?"

"Demo…"

Shoving Minako, somewhat forcefully, into a nearby taxi, Rei turned back to her original spot. Following her senses, she walked several blocks without identifying anything suspicious. Just when the lights turned green for her to proceed, someone patted her gently on her shoulder.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, with a young girl behind him who was too old to be his daughter and too young to be his girlfriend. They smiled warmly at her and took out a city map, as if about to ask for some directions.

"Excuse me, but I'm in a hurry," Rei explained hastily.

The man arched an eyebrow. "But, unless I'm deeply mistaken, aren't you looking for us, Sailor Mars-sama?"

The words flowed out so naturally that Rei barely caught on. Before she had time to process what the man said, every single person around the intersection stopped their businesses and turned to her with smiles that sent shivers down her spine. Above her, several housewives poked their heads out of windows and gave her big grins.

Rei glanced around her, feeling completely surrounded. The people kept on smiling, their faces devoid of any signs of ill will. Then on cue, everyone got down on one knee and bowed their heads in reverence, leaving Rei as confused as ever.

"Welcome to Little Crystal Tokyo, Mars-sama," they said in union.

"Huh? Little Crystal Tokyo?"

"Correct," one man in the crowd stood up. "This part of the city has been taken over by all those who are loyal followers of Her Majesty Queen Serenity the Twenty-Six and the future residents of Crystal Tokyo."

"Queen…Serenity?"

"Her Majesty is the last ruler of the Silver Millennium and the mother of that Princess," he spat out the last word.

"Oh, Usagi's…mother…"

…_in her past life._

"We're so grateful that Mars-sama could grant us a moment of her time," the man continued. "Please give us the honor to present you to our lord."

"Hold on. If you're all subjects of Queen Serenity during the Silver Millennium, which I don't understand how, then shouldn't your new ruler be—"

"That Princess? With all due respect Mars-sama, would you ever trust the very person who slaughtered her people and destroyed her kingdom? No. Our new lord is a benefactor to his subjects and a close friend of Her Majesty's. There's no one more capable than him to be our future ruler."

"You're wrong!" a familiar voice called out from the crowd. "The Princess is not who she was in the past life. She cares deeply about her people and this world, and has every entitlement to her mother's title!"

"Mi- Minako? How did you get here so fast?"

Stepping next to Rei, Minako let out a smirk, "The next time you decide to treat me to a taxi ride, do check if there's a driver present first."

"Well, sorry. I was in a hurry. But you should of done what I told you to."

"Is that how you feel about the Princess?" the man asked, putting an end to the typical argument that was about to ensue.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but all I know is that Usagi is our Princess. I'll protect her with my life," Rei answered confidently.

"I see. In that case, you'll have to pardon our rudeness."

The crowd parted, revealing several men suited fully in armor. As they marched forward in rhythm, the ground shook slightly, sending out pulses of wave that pushed Rei and Minako away from each other.

"Who are you?" Rei asked.

"Second Regiment of the Royal Army," one of the soldiers replied once they completely surrounded Rei, leaving Minako on the outside of the ring.

The soldiers drew their swords simultaneously, pointing them at Rei, but before Minako could move a step in an attempt to help, another person dressed in Silver Millennium clothing stepped in front of her.

"Who's there?" Minako demanded.

"Commander of the Royal Army, I'm Yuki. This isn't the first time we've met, Venus-sama."

"It's you! In London, during my interview…"

"Right. And if it entertains you, I'm also the one who crashed your plane and then saved you."

Minako frowned, "But why? If you wanted to kill me…"

"You misunderstood, Venus-sama. My job is to bring you to my lord, nothing more and nothing less. Now, we could do this the easy way—"

"You want me to surrender?"

Yuki shrugged, "I knew you would choose the hard way." Reaching under her cloak, Yuki pulled out her weapon, which, to Minako's surprise, was a hand-carved long wooden flute.

Knowing that she was no match for her opponent as Aino Minako, Minako quickly pondered the possible lines of action. She could run, she could run, or she could run. There seemed to be little choice for her. Thus, she pushed through the crowd behind her, which unexpectedly parted ways to let her through.

Behind her, Yuki put on an amused smile. "What did Mercury always say? Running. Is. No. Use."

Minako turned so many corners that she barely remember the routes she took. Finding no one following, she entered an abandoned brick building and hid beside the window, hoping that Yuki wouldn't find her and desperately searching for a way to help Rei.

_I could call the others, but they're as useless as I am without their senshi powers._

She looked around, her mind totally blank.

_Demo…that wood flute…it's somehow familiar._

Clutching her head in pain, Minako let another memory seep forth.

--------------------------

_I sat down at her favorite spot, admiring the otherworldly view of the Moon Palace under the night sky. Lately I've been losing a lot of sleep as the big day crept sooner and sooner. A week back I took a stroll around the gardens around midnight, and shockingly found her sitting in this oak tree gazing out at the stars. Everything about her hit me differently: her beauty, her grace, and especially the passion dancing in those fiery eyes. Ever since then I have had a slight obsession with her and I came here to watch her every night. I wanted to know more about her, not as my rival, but maybe as a possible friend._

_However tonight she didn't show up. I wondered if she found out that she was being spied on._

_I heard someone walking across the grass. Nervously glancing over my shoulder, I was relieved to find that it wasn't the person I was expecting._

"_Yuki-sensei!" _

"_Venus-sama," she stopped under the tree and took a bow._

"_Oh, we don't have to be so formal with each other. There's no one else around."_

"_If you so insist," she looked around one more time to make sure that we were alone, "V-chan."_

"_Care to join me?" I patted the spot next to me._

"_My pleasure."_

_In a smooth jump she landed on the thick branch beside me. Jerking the branch slightly to see if it would hold both of us, she turned to face me._

"_What's wrong?"_

_I remained silent._

"_Can't sleep? Is it because of tomorrow?"_

_Nodding, I dropped my gaze down to my lap._

"_Yuki, I know you're not allowed to tell me the results, but can you at least confirm that a decision has been reached?"_

_She thought about it for a long time. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Yes, Her Majesty did run the candidacy of senshi leader through both the outer senshi and the court today. There were no objections as far as I know."_

_I sighed heavily, "Why can't they just announce it today?"_

"_If they announce it tonight," she gave me a wise smile, "Then you would have been this nervous yesterday."_

"_I guess you're right."_

"_There's nothing to worry about. You gave it your best shot; that's the most important thing."_

_I laughed quietly, "Did you give this speech to everyone?"_

"_Well no. Mercury and Jupiter approached me earlier today. Supposedly they made a bet between themselves about whether Mars or V-chan will be the leader and they wanted to know who won."_

"_And what did you tell them?"_

"_It's obvious I couldn't answer their question. I only said what the Queen had instructed me to: that any of the inner senshi could be selected as leader so the competition isn't just between Mars and Venus and that their noncompetitive natures might actually give them an advantage. Hey, don't panic V-chan. I think the Queen understands who wants to become the leader and respects all of the senshi's decisions."_

"_Is that so? What about Mars?"_

"_Donno. Haven't seen her around at all lately."_

"_I see. Say, Yuki, have you heard the Venusian's story of the two bunnies?"_

"_You mean the bunnies who decided to compete against each other because they couldn't stand one another?"_

"_Yeah. One is a scholar that studies all the time and knows everything, and the other spends time socializing and knows everyone. They're both respected by others, but hate each other. My mother always uses this as a bedtime story."_

"_What about that story?"_

"_Well, who do you think wins the competition? That's how the story ends, right?"_

_Yuki stared at me, then shrugged her shoulders. "I think the social bunny will win because it's impossible to go through life on your own. You can't know everything there is to know."_

"_You think so?" I asked almost too excitedly._

"_I think everyone who has a brain would think so, not just me. I bet if you asked the Queen, she would say so too," Yuki winked._

_I lowered my head once more, realizing that she had seen through my plan. But she played along and clandestinely told me the Queen's decision on the leader. It's true: Mars, just like the bunny in the story, relies too much on herself and doesn't trust others. That's why my mother had repeatedly disciplined me to know everyone rather than to know everything._

"_Look at the stars! There's so many tonight," Yuki started, trying to get away from the leader topic._

_I glanced up at the starry night and something bright red caught my eye._

"_Ah…so that's why Mars always comes here at night. A pretty good view of her home planet."_

_Yuki stared at the planet for a while, then turned away with a weary smile. "The Red Planet, eh? Brings back memories."_

_Even though it was only a whisper, I caught on. "Eh? Didn't you say you came from Venus?"_

_She shifted uncomfortably and attempted to smile, "I let that slip, didn't I? To Don't tell anyone, but my family was originally from Mars."_

_I was shocked, "You lied to the Queen about your identity?"_

_She looked reluctant to continue. "I'll tell you something, but just keep it between us, okay? Truth is, my father used to work for this landlord on Mars. I had two younger brothers and we just couldn't make it with my father's salary, so he decided that he'd steal some money for traveling fees and find a better master to work for. Well, he got caught and under the Martian law, executed. My whole family was kicked off of the planet and I had to support my mother and siblings. Ended up stealing from old ladies and almost had to sell my body if it weren't for the gentleman who offered us a free ride to Venus. We later got some money from the Venusian court; it wasn't much, but at least we could live. I decided then that I was from Venus and no where else."_

"_Oh…"_

"_There's a reason why I don't like to talk about these things. And I think that's why Mars-sama and I, we don't get along. She always reminds me of the humiliation," Yuki chuckled dryly._

_I felt the conversation getting more and more uneasy, so I decided to change the course slightly. _

"_What about that gentleman you were talking about? You guys still in contact?"_

"_Oh, of course. After all, it's Svetu."_

"_Eh? Svetu-san?"_

"_Hai. Several years ago he worked for the Solar Express Shuttle Service. It was also him who told me about the Queen's kingdom-wide search for new talents. If it weren't for him, I would never get to where I am today."_

"_I see."_

_No wonder. Since the first days Yuki set foot on the Moon, she and Svetu-san became really close friends. I was always puzzled at how they were able to hit it off so well while we the senshi are still awkward with each other even after a month of being together, mainly because we came from such different backgrounds that we're still adjusting to one another. Since Yuki declared she was from Venus, we started talking immediately and her presence, surprisingly, reduced my homesickness. I had always assumed that she came from a happy family just like mine and most families on Venus. Who knew…_

"_Ah!" I suddenly had an idea. "Maybe you could tell me a little bit about Martian culture. My mother refuses to answer any question concerning that planet."_

"_Culture? Mars?" she had a weird, indescribable look on her face that quickly changed an all-knowing expression. "Are you sure you want to learn more about the planet…or the person?"_

_I blushed, my plan ruined once again. Turning away, I softly admitted, "Both…of course…well…okay! More of the second."_

_She gave me the expected wink, and carefully removed the beaver-skin sac that she always had attached to her belt. Slowly taking out the content, she waved it around my eyes._

"_Isn't that the winder?" I asked cautiously, fully aware of my lack of knowledge._

"_Uh huh. Nearly everyone on Mars knows how to play it. Supposedly in the event of an invasion, you could blow it and the sound will travel hundreds of miles. It's also popular for recreation. There's this very well-known lullaby that my mother would always hum when I was small."_

_Without a pause, Yuki put her lips on the mouth piece and her fingers danced along the wooden instrument, producing a song that was so inharmonic that it was hardly fit for children. Several times I wanted to cover my ears, but the beckoning expression in her eyes made me kept on listening. After a while, I was surprised to discover a softer, tenderer rhythm that lay underneath the hectic music, a melody which somehow drove the main song instead of being driven._

_We stayed at the oak tree until sunrise, bombarded by aggressive notes that I gradually grew attached to. I finally began to understand that other side of Mars, the side that's hidden beneath their viciousness yet is the foundation of their character. With this new knowledge, my curiosity for Sailor Mars only deepened._

--------------------------

"Mars-sama. This is your last chance."

"I'm not going to bow my head down to some stranger and betray Usagi. Step aside! Youma Taisan!"

The spell hit one of the soldiers without any affect.

"Eh?" Rei stepped back in surprise.

The said soldier brushed off the paper like dust particles and snorted, "Mars-sama, we're all human, so your spiritual skills won't be of any use here."

The crowd closed up, trapping Rei in the middle. Her mind scrambled for a possible escape route in an empty pool of ideas. Then there came a deadly whisper.

"Dead Scream."

Rei watched unbelievably as a large purple swirl of energy swiped away the enemies one by one, so powerful that it initiated a dust storm. Rei shielded her eyes, while at the same time trying to find her rescuer.

_That power! It can only be another senshi, or a different enemy._

"Retreat back to the Moonlight Castle!" a booming voice broke through the storm, followed by a bright flash.

When the dust cleared, the streets were empty. Rei looked around, finding the shadow of a stranger hidden in an alleyway.

"If you're looking for your friend, she went that way," the shadow pointed its staff west. With that, it dissolved into thin air, leaving no traces of its identity.

Utterly confused by the events of the day, Rei could only follow the directions provided by the mysterious woman and headed west.

-------------------------------

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Minako held her breath as the footsteps steadily drew near. Glancing around, she noticed that the only exit was where she came in, which proved useless considering the enemy was marching directly in front of it. She listened carefully; the footsteps slowly approached her hiding spot, then, without stopping, passed it.

Letting out a relived sigh, she headed for the exit, when she realized that the footsteps have stopped altogether.

_Nani? Did she know—?_

BOOM!

A whole was made in the brick wall, and in walked Yuki with the winder in hand and a malicious grin on her face. Swinging the winder down, she sent a surge of energy towards Minako, knocking her dead against the opposite wall. Yuki took three strides forward and with her free hand picked up Minako by her neck.

"A pity, Venus-sama," she whispered by Minako's ear, her grin even wider. "Perhaps if you had chosen the easy way in the beginning."

Leaving her sentence unfinished, Yuki moved to look at her prey eye to eye, and after a pause, kissed her fully on the lips.

Minako gasped, desperately struggling to get herself free. However, somewhere in the back of her mind, a new, though not unfamiliar, sensation was creeping forth.

_This feeling, like we've done this before… What's going on?_

Just then, another vision appeared.

----------------------------

_I rolled over on the crumbled sheets, reaching out for her hand nervously. _

"_You won't regret this in the morning, right Yuki? You'll stay with me, right?"_

_She smiled reassuringly and even gave me a short kiss for emphasis. "I'll be here, V-chan, forever and ever."_

-----------------------------

Suddenly, the pressure lifted and Yuki pushed away from Minako in a clumsy motion. Stumbling backwards, Yuki stared astonishingly at Minako, as if just realizing what she had done.

"What the…What was that? Why did I—?"

"Minako!"

Rushing into the building, Rei stepped protectively between them.

"Stay away from her, whoever you are!" she warned.

_Those eyes, the burning anger, _Yuki thought, _I've definitely seen this before too. But I don't remember anything._

After observing Rei for some seconds, Yuki turned and in a flash, disappeared.

Breathing out in relief, Rei hurried next to Minako, whose shirt and skirt were stained with several spots of blood.

"Daijobu?" Rei asked worriedly.

"I…I want to say daijobu…demo…"

Minako latched onto Rei's shoulder and let her tears fall. She just couldn't hold it in any longer. Her feelings, her past life: everything was jumbled up into a big confusion. Hasn't she always loved Rei? Then why did she like that kiss? Was she still Aino Minako, the stubborn girl who's confident in her abilities, or has her past self taken over her identity? Aren't they the same, Aino Minako and Princess Venus, or completely different people who only shared the same physical appearance?

For the first time, Minako started to fear her past.

Gently patting Minako on the back, Rei kept on reminding herself:

_It's nothing special. She's just seeking comfort from a friend because she's freaked out. It's nothing special. It means absolutely nothing._

----------------------------

(Hikawa Shrine)

"I still don't understand why we didn't go to the hospital," Rei said after she had bandaged all of Minako's wounds.

"These wounds aren't just normal cuts and bruises. If we went to the hospital, how are we going to explain it? Besides, Shacho might just go crazy and decide to sue you in court."

"What? Why would he do that?"

Minako rolled her eyes, "Because we can't explain who attacked me; so to him you're the only suspect. How are you going to defend yourself? That the wounds just appeared all of the sudden?"

"Well, okay. You've got a point. By the way, I called Ami-chan over so that she can check the injuries. Usagi and the others are also coming. They seem to have some pretty big news that they want share."

"Really? I wonder if they got some information on the enemies."

There were a series of loud knocks on the door.

"Rei-chan!!!" Usagi called from outside.

"Speaking of the devil," Rei got up from her bedroom. "I'm coming, Usagi."

"Rei-chan can you hear me? Don't open the…"

Rei slid the door open and was instantly met with millions of flashing lights.

"…door," Usagi sighed.

"Hino-san, is it true that you're romantically involved with Aino Minako?"

"About what the Townnews magazine said…"

"Considering that you're the daughter of Senator Hino, how do you…"

"Saitou-san was quoted saying…"

"Will this have an impact on your father's political life, such…"

"What would you consider…"

Countless of microphones were shoved under her nose and more questions were continuously thrown at her as each reporter wanted to get her attention first. Rei scanned the crowd of unfamiliar faces, each with either a notepad or a camera in hand, and finally spotted Usagi, Ami, and Makoto on the outside of the mass trying to push their ways through.

Rei was about to shut the door in their face, but a quicker reporter already poked her head inside and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"LOOK! Aino Minako!!"

"Aino Minako, did she say?"

"So she was hiding inside all this time!"

The mountain of media reporters lunged forward, pushing past Rei and into the shrine. Just when they raised their cameras, they found no trace of the idol. Instead, a young woman in Rei's priestess robes greeted them politely.

"She must have left through that side door," a cameraman pointed at a half-opened door to his left.

With that, the wave swiped outside, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Rei stared at the other priestess from head to toe, blinking hard. "Where did you get those clothes from?"

"Oh…well, it was saved in my cell phone." Minako flipped open the phone and changed back to her clothes. "I saw you wearing it before this one time and I thought that it was…very cute."

Cute? Did Minako just referred to Rei in her priestess attire as cute?

_No, baka. She's just saying your clothing is cute, not you!_

"Rei-chan!" Usagi called out, entering the shrine. "Oh! Minako-chan's here too! How're your injuries? When did you get back? You should of called us. We were so worried."

Minako smiled, "Daijobu. I'm sorry for worrying you guys."

"So I guess what the Townnews people said were true," Makoto said quietly. "You guys are…"

Rei and Minako looked at each other and sighed. They had a lot of explaining to do.

----------------------------

"Eh? So it was all to get Rei-chan back to Japan? That Ryo-san, whoever he is, if I can transform into Sailor Moon I'll send a Moon Twilight Flash down his throat!!!"

"Usagi-chan," Luna admonished. "Now it's not the time to worry about that."

Makoto nodded, "Luna's right. Right now we need a plan. I still can't believe that the enemies have formed a community. Little Crystal Tokyo, huh?"

"That reminds me," Ami interjected. "Have you guys noticed that since the day Svetu showed up there has been a dark cloud hanging over the southern part of the city? Perhaps, above the cloud is the enemies' base: Moonlight Castle."

"Svetu? Who's Svetu?" Minako asked.

"Ah, I'll tell you later," Rei said. "It's some enemy that showed up in Tokyo the day your plane crashed."

"Right now we don't know what they're planning," Luna reasoned, "But we must be careful. We can't let anything happen to the city or the Earth for that matter."

"But how? We've lost the Silver Crystal and used up the legendary sword. We're stuck in this form forever!" Usagi tucked at her shirt.

"Stuck…in this form…" Ami whispered to herself.

"We have to do something. The enemy is asking for the senshi to meet their lord, right? Maybe if we go with them?"

Rei shook her head, "Luna, you're crazy! That would be the same as surrendering. We can't…Ami-chan, where are you going?"

"I just thought of something. I'll be at the Crown if you guys need me," Ami replied and hurriedly took off.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

"Masaka! Those reporters again," Rei panicked.

"Alright. Me and Mako-chan will hold them at the door while you two go hide somewhere."

When everything was ready, Usagi carefully slid open the door. But there were no reporters.

"Eh? Minako's Shacho-san?"

Sugao didn't wait for any invitation to march into the shrine, two men in suits trailing behind him.

"Minako!" he yelled angrily.

The idol guiltily crawled out of the closet, followed by a red-faced Rei.

"Shacho…"

Sugao took a deep breath. "What Exactly did you Think you were Doing?! You do know what I mean by hospital, so why are you at a shrine! I had to go through millions of sources to find out that Reiko-chan was actually a senator's daughter, and then find his secretary who told me about this place. Seriously, if I couldn't find you here, I would have called the police!"

"Gomen ne, Shacho."

"Minako. Do you ever process your actions through your head first? To think that…Oh God! What are those bandages on your leg?"

"Well…"

"I know," Sugao panicked, jumping to conclusions himself. "You got attacked, didn't you? So the police were right. There's a plot to kill Minako! Just think: the plane, the oxygen mask, the bomb that Reiko found, and now even in Tokyo!! No doubt, this is a plot!"

"Shacho, I'm not sure about that."

"I have decided that, from now on, I'll hire a bodyguard for you 24/7."

"Bodyguard?" Minako thought back to two years ago and how useful her two bodyguards were against Kuroki Mio's youmas. "Demo, bodyguards always cause more trouble for me."

"Oh, this one is different. Trust me, she works for the Tokyo Police Department and has experience with every type of combat. Her superior especially recommended her. Won't you please come in?"

A young woman in her early twenties stepped in, clad in a police uniform. She took off her sunglasses and bowed to Minako.

"This is Akiyama Shura-chan, but she insists that everyone call her Yuki."

"A pleasure to meet you all," Yuki bowed again. When her hair partially covered her face, she let out a small grin.

"A pleasure, Yuki-sen…Yuki-san," the four girls stumbled with the name.

Because in the back of their minds, a familiar phrase suddenly sprang to mind:

_Yuki-sensei._

To be continued…

------------------------------

AN: So there u have it! A lot of ppl have been asking me about Yuki and I admit she's a mystery alright. Hopefully you're even more confused now! :p


	10. Separate Ways

-------------------------------

As much as it has been announced that pop-idol Aino Minako would be taking a short break after the debut of her fifth album, during which she would be attending the wedding of a close friend, her manager actually had a quite few different plans in mind. First, seeing as she had spend quite some time developing her career in Europe, it was about time that she returned to her roots, so to speak, and spent some time with her fans in Asia. Statistics showed that her sales might increase by 30% if she made several prominent appearances on Japanese television. And before the wave died down she would carry it with her to North America.

Not that Minako ever listen attentively to her manager when it came to statistics. But this time she didn't argue with him only because it gave her the rare opportunity to visit her home country along with her friends and former senshi. One in particular…

There were other reasons as well, though secretly Minako has to admit that these were less important. One was to solidify her suspicions regarding the type of relationship between two of her friends, on which Artemis refused to provide an affirmative or a negative. It wasn't just for the sake of her curiosity; her role as the leader, even during peaceful times, required that she kept a lookout for the senshi. Among the girls, Minako was the only one who believed that their powers weren't gone for good, that their status as senshi and princess would come back in the future, and due to the insaneness of the idea, she had kept it to herself.

The other reason was the dreams, memories to be precise, that she have regained since two months ago. She felt as though someone was trying to tell her something. Something important.

But now all these issues were pushed back; since the incident in 'Little Tokyo' a week ago, it was evident that new enemies have appeared and she must now focus all of her energy on the coming crisis. However somewhere in the back of her mind questions still lingered.

Absentmindedly glancing up at the clock, she suddenly snapped back to reality. She had been sitting on the couch for two hours already and with nothing accomplished. Her original plan was to create some lyrics for her new album, but her mind had taken her elsewhere. Sighing inwardly, she pulled out her cell and dialed a familiar number.

In a matter of seconds her new bodyguard, whom she got to know very well during the past week considering she was following her 24/7, entered her suite.

"Is it time already, Aino-san?" Yuki asked, pushing a short dagger into her coat pocket.

"Yes. Shall we?" Minako got off the couch; in two-steps time her bodyguard was beside her and snatched the paper from her hands.

"Now hold on," Yuki flipped through the blank pages with a frown. "This is all you've done since lunch?"

Minako grabbed the papers back angrily. "That's none of your business! You didn't get paid to check my homework."

"That's true," she stepped back defensively. "But Shacho-san did say that Aino-san's only allowed to stay in a hotel instead of the hospital and go out once a week on the condition that she gets some work done. We've been out for twice this week already, and you've only written two lines."

"I'll explain to Shacho when we get back," Minako rolled her eyes.

"Right on! And you know what happens? You get off, and I get trouble. Look Aino-san, I'm just doing my job here. Gimme a break and make this easy for both of us, please?"

Minako fell back into the couch. She closed her eyes for a second then sighed, "I can't. No inspiration, no ideas, nothing."

Yuki stared at her employer for some seconds, apparently having an inner battle with herself, then gave in. "Alright, alright. Only for this once."

Fumbling for several sheets of paper, she laid them out on the coffee table neatly. Minako took a casual glance through the musical notes and lyrics, her expression clearly confused.

"What's this? Am I seeing my own handwriting? You Copied My Handwriting?"

"Well, since the last time we snuck out and got caught, I've had a lot of time to think. See, I need Aino-san happy to keep my job, and I need Shacho-san for my paycheck. Simply speaking, I can't upset either of you. Now with these," Yuki pointed to the papers with pride, "Aino-san can go out and Shacho-san thinks that she is a good girl and did some work. Perfect, ne?"

The idol was lost for words.

"Now, we stick to the small streets and don't let me out of your sight. We come back safely and everybody's happy. What do you say?"

Minako only nodded, thanking the gods for giving her such an understanding and useful bodyguard.

Little did she know that her bodyguard was forming a few plans of her own.

-----------------------------

Motoki gently rubbed his index finger on Kamekichi's back, popping up his head with his other hand. Stealing a glance at the clock behind him, he shifted his position lazily to having his head lie on the counter.

"Ah…Minako-chan sure is late."

True to his words, the automatic doors leading into the Crown slid open. The girl before him wore a plain grey sweater with unadorned, but nevertheless stylish jeans. Minako lifted off her new black cap and lightly waved the year-long permit card in front of Motoki's eyes.

"Oh, I remember these," Motoki playfully snatched the card from her hands. "At first I couldn't believe that Luna made these even when Mako-chan told me so. Hey, remember the first time you came to the crown with this? You had such a pissed expression on your face."

"I guess that just wasn't my day," Minako replied, purposely not elaborating on the ugly argument that followed and how, even though she knew her words would hurt Rei, she was too stubborn to lose.

Minako took back her card—though it was not necessary anymore, it was a memory of the old times—and place it back in her bag, which, in contrast to her normal top-brand accessories, was a simple black knapsack.

Ever since the words spread about her 'relationship' with Rei, Sugao had been extra cautious that she didn't attract any attention whatsoever, cancelling many scheduled TV appearances and even going as far as getting her a whole wardrobe of new clothing—half of which Minako simply refused to wear. For Minako, clothing was a way of self-expression just like her music. Dressing unfashionably is as much of a pain as making Usagi do calculus all day.

"The others are waiting for you already." Motoki's words snapped the idol out of her reverie. It was becoming a habit since the day she woke up in the hospital and saw Rei watching her.

"I'll head down. By the way," she mentioned towards the girl standing behind her, "Is it okay for my bodyguard to stay in the lobby while I'm at it?"

Motoki glanced at Yuki and their eyes locked for a brief moment.

"No problem. The job's been boring today so I can use some company."

"Thanks a lot," Minako waved and disappeared into the senshi's reserved room at the Crown.

After a moment of silence, Yuki walked up to the counter.

"So, seems like you've recovered your memories after all."

"So it seems," Motoki answered in monotone.

"You got us worried for a while. We thought that something had gone wrong. Why didn't you drop by after you woke up?"

"I wasn't ready."

"Eh? What do you mean 'you're not ready'? The memories did come back, right?"

"It did, but everything's different from the past. Mako-chan loves me and not that other girl. I shouldn't blame her because her past-self was with Mako-chan a millennium ago."

"Oh," Yuki laughed sarcastically. "And what was the first thing you did after you woke up? Now, I could get this wrong cuz I overheard Aino-san talking on the phone, but you basically tackled her, didn't you?"

Motoki fell silent.

His companion continued, "Don't be so naïve thinking that what happened in the past won't repeat itself. Look at the Princess: falling in love with the Prince of Earth and destroying the planet all over again. Just because you've got your Mako-chan fallen head over heals for you now doesn't mean that it's gonna stay like that."

"It's not like that!" Motoki protested. "I just…if Mako-chan tells me one day that she doesn't love me anymore, then I'll let her go. It's what it means to love someone, after all."

There was a brief moment of hesitation. "What's this? Has your life as Furuhata Motoki the wimp gotten too much in your head? You sound nothing like the hothead general from Jupiter, the Commander Motoki I knew!"

"What about you? If anyone changed it would be you! You're almost the opposite of who you used to be," Motoki countered.

Yuki turned away, gazing at the doorway which Minako had entered seconds before. "In my case, I've decided that giving up once is enough. You know that I never believed in fate. So this time I'm going to decide my own fate.

"This might be off-topic," she continued, "but up until recently I didn't remember anything about Venus. I mean I knew she was a senshi and all, but I never thought about her in that way. Only after we met did it slowly begin to come back to me. Actually, it just started a week ago. And you, you're almost my mirror image: you've been with Jupiter for so long and yet you just remembered the Silver Millennium. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know it might be hard to accept your past identity in the beginning, but trust me, it'll become a part of you."

"Maybe my past will become natural for me eventually, but I'm Furuhata Motoki and nothing will change that."

"Well, if you ever change your mind about things," she handed him a small note, "This is where Svetu lives."

Motoki looked the address over and stuffed it in his back pockets. He knew he had no use of it, and after the girl left he would dispose it in its proper place: the garbage can.

Deciding that she should stop pressing the topic, Yuki pushed herself off the countertop. "So, is there something that I can help you with?"

---------------------------------

"MINAKO-CHAN!"

Usagi had ran up to her to moment she stepped into the room, and in her over-excited and jumpy state, almost tackled her over.

Ami, in sharp contrast, only exchanged a small greeting and went back to work on the computer. When Minako gave Usagi a confused frown, the pigtailed girl only shrugged.

"Don't know what's going on. Ami-chan's been working days and nights on this program. She wouldn't talk to anyone!"

"A program?"

"Or something like that. What else could take so much time and concentration to do?"

Minako returned the shrug and took her seat around the table, knowing that it was better not to disturb her friend right at the moment. When Ami was ready, she would announce her project to everyone.

"So has a date been decided yet?" Minako took a sip of her drink, which, to her delight, always matched her senshi colors.

"A week from Saturday." Usagi clapped her hands together happily. "I'm sooo glad that everyone could stay for Mako-chan's wedding, even though we missed the original scheduled date because Motoki-kun was still too weak to move around. Luna too! She was worried about the new enemies, but said that we should have the wedding!"

"Where are the others?" Minako looked around the rather empty room.

"Oh, see, since we're supposed to be planning Mako-chan's wedding, she wouldn't be here because I want it to be a big happy surprise to cheer her up after what happened to Motoki-kun. Ami-chan hasn't said a word since morning. And Rei-chan was supposed to come, but she called earlier telling me that she couldn't make it."

"So it's just the two of us?" Minako's heart sank, and she couldn't help sounding a little down.

Her companion, however, took no notice of it. "Yep! I'm so glad you could make it today because I thought of so many ideas last night and…" Usagi dug around her bag and produced a huge piles of papers. "Ta-da! See, this is the list of activities, and this is for the decoration, and…Oh! Did I tell you? We're having the wedding at Rei-chan's temple."

"Rei's temple?" Her heart gave another throb. "Didn't Makoto say she wanted a church?"

"Well, since we missed our scheduled date and it's too late to make another reservation, we had to settle for second best. But with me, the soldier of love and parties, this wedding is going to be one that they'll never forget!"

Looking from her over-enthusiastic princess to the long grocery lists piled on the table, Minako had little doubt about that, though she wasn't sure if it would be memorable in a good way. But she would never voice it aloud to Usagi.

"Alright Minako-chan! Let's get to work! First we'll need some lights and flowers, and then probably some balloons too. Oh, and we definitely need tables and chairs. Furniture's the only thing Rei-chan doesn't have enough of. What about…"

Watching her determined yet clumsy movements, Minako couldn't help but smile. Slowly her spirits lifted too as she worked along side her princess and friend. Perhaps for the first time, thoughts of Rei disappeared into the back of her mind.

Temporarily.

------------------------------

Usagi sighed contently, "I can't believe we were so productive today—well, for me at least. I could never sit still for an hour! But I'm sure you have to work hard like this everyday." She yawned, "Ah…it's sure tough being an idol."

Walking alongside her in the Juuban area—for Usagi didn't quite felt like going home yet—Minako only smiled and made no further comments. Her bodyguard, however, didn't hold back her snicker.

"You'd be surprised, Tsukino-san."

"Really? But Minako-chan definitely does her best all the time! Ne?"

"Sometimes, I guess you could say. Other times, however…"

Her employer gently jabbed her warningly. Pretending to not take notice, she continued, "Other times she blames it on her lack of inspiration."

"I do not!" Minako countered.

"And this morning?"

"That wasn't an excuse. I had nothing in my mind."

"Well, that's news to me! Wait a minute, have I heard you say that before? Last night, definitely, and yesterday morning. Let me see…" Yuki started ticking off each of her fingers as she named another instance. "I don't know boss, but I'm running out of fingers."

"I'm warning you," Minako replied in a low voice. "If you want this job…"

"Hey, I want the job! But if I were you, I wouldn't threaten the person who did me huge favor just four hours ago."

The dialogue bounced back and forth. Usagi watched them quietly, feeling increasingly agitated. Something felt wrong, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The conversation sounded more like one she would expect from two former senshi.

As they walked past a fast food stand, Usagi's stomach issued a rather conspicuous complaint. The bickering timely stopped and the trio broke into a fit of laughter.

Opening her purse to get some cash, Usagi said, "I guess I better buy some food. Your body knows what you need and when you need it."

"Sounds like you're quoting someone," Minako observed, knowing the answer already.

"Yep! That's our Ami-chan for you!"

Contently munching on her hotdog, Usagi turned to Minako. "Say, I've been worried about Ami-chan. She's working like a maniac! Well, she is a workaholic when she gets down to it, but it's not like her to not tell us what's going on. Something's not right, I'm sure of it."

Minako reflected on her time at the crown. The computer noises never ceased from the moment she stepped in till the moment she stepped out. Ami only nodded when they bid her goodbye, but Minako doubted she heard them at all. It was as if the girl had retreated to the times before she became a senshi.

Taking a mental note of this, Minako resolved to ask Artemis tonight, only to realize that the plush cat had taken a few actions on his own.

"Usagi?"

"Hmm?"

"How's Ar…um, you know? How's he doing?" Minako restrained herself from sounding the cat's name, realizing that her bodyguard was walking right next to her. It would sound awkward, if not suspicious, that she should question the well-being of a toy.

"Who?"

"You know…" Minako didn't know how else she could make it clearer.

Conveniently, Yuki excused herself to the restroom, and the two senshi were left by themselves.

"I'm glad you asked," Usagi answered after the idol clarified her question. "He's getting pretty grumpy lately. Luna said the only thing he mutters is what good does he get for following around Venus all day. Seriously, what happened between you guys?"

Minako looked away guiltily. "That time when Rei and I got off the plane we were in such a hurry and I simply forgot to take him with me. It's the first time that I just left him behind. Guess he's not taking it very well."

"No wonder! When I got home the day you came back, he was sitting on my doorstep all muddy and out of breath because he had came all that way from the airport by himself! He looked so outraged and even said he'll never see you again," Usagi laughed. "I'm sure he's just overreacting, but an apology would probably help."

"I guess so, but I haven't got a chance to talk it out with him. He's been hanging around your place all the time."

Usagi paused for a bit, then blurted out, "I bet he's jealous!"

"Nani?" Minako's eyes grew wide. "Why?"

"I'm sure you know." Then she added, a gleam of amusement in her eyes, "Just think: you forgot him on the plane, but you definitely remembered to take someone else with you!"

Watching how uneasy her friend was becoming, Usagi mentally confirmed her doubts. She would be blind not to notice how much Rei and Minako's relationship had developed over the past years, even though they probably had almost no chances of meeting face to face. But just considering that Rei, who, after many pleas from her friends, refused to turn away from her meditations and return to Tokyo, not only came back for Makoto's wedding but arrived ten days in advance just because Minako was also coming back. That was evident enough.

Saving the idol from the awkwardness, Usagi said casually, "Ah…Where did Yuki wander off to? It's getting dark and Mamo-chan's probably waiting for me with dinner ready."

-----------------------------

When Minako stepped into her hotel that evening, she was confronted with perhaps the most extraordinary event of her life.

There, sitting in the lobby, was Hino Ikeda, one of the senators that dominates Japanese politics. The busy politician who had no time for his daughter was spending his precious time waiting for her. In person.

Before she could react, the man was already shaking her hand warmly.

"Aino-san, correct? I'm Hino Ikeda. It is truly an honor to meet you."

Minako exchanged a few lines of formality with him out of practice, though her mind was swarmed with questions. The possibility of Senator Hino visiting her was already slim, let alone being so, how shall she put it?—forward and affectionate.

The conversation lasted for a minute but nothing registered her mind. Her body was on autopilot while her brain searched for possible explanations.

"Now, if it's no trouble for you, it would be a pleasure to have you dine with us tonight. Nothing fancy—just a small family meal."

Finally the words clicked in her head and Minako couldn't suppress her gasp. This was off her list of reasons by a long shot. But Hino was a man she couldn't refuse, so she politely accepted on the condition that her Shacho-san gave her permission.

Five minutes later she entered the politician's black limo, wondering where this night could possibly lead to.

To be continued…


	11. Fighto! Oh!

AN: In last chapter, I meant the coming Saturday as the date for Mako's wedding, instead I made Usagi say a week from Saturday. Sorry about the typo.

I dedicate this super-duper fast update (for me at least…hehe) to Mindze, ChrisGranger, LunarMiko07, secretedreamer, and all the readers who have stuck with me for this far. I really appreciate you guys' support. Can't ask for a better audience!

---------------------------

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi said, absentmindedly cleaning the plate in her hands.

"Something on your mind?" Mamoru asked, putting away the newspaper he was reading and came over to his wife.

"Uh huh. How do you know?"

Mamoru gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Because you've been scrubbing the same spot for five minutes."

Usagi looked down at the plate, which was sparkling clean like a diamond. She put it aside, picked up another plate, and began the same procedures.

"Lately everyone's been off on their own," she began musing aloud. "Rei-chan and Minako-chan—well, that's self-explanatory. Ami-chan has been working nonstop from sunrise to sundown for some reason. Mako-chan called this morning and sounded no where as excited as I was. Her wedding is just this Saturday and no one's in the mood and I don't know what's wrong and I wish I can do something to cheer them up."

Mamoru wanted to say that no one could beat his wife when it came to party planning, but deciding to reserve that judgment for better time, replied, "I'm sure they didn't want to worry you. Besides, I think they'll have to figure out their own problems. They're all grown up women now."

"But I'm their friend! I can't just sit here and watch."

Mamoru thought for a moment. "Then maybe you should help indirectly, you know, set it up so that they can resolve it themselves." Watching his wife go back into thinking mode, he decided to lighten up her spirits. "But," he added with a smile, "If you always clean the dishes so thoroughly when they worry you, I think I'll ask them to do it more often. Saves me the time rewashing the plates."

"Oh you," Usagi gave her husband a playful jab. "But you're right. I guess I should stop worrying and let them talk it out by themselves."

--------------------------------

The black limo had pulled past the third and final security checkpoint and still the senator's residence was no where in sight. As they made endless turns in a seemingly unending forest, the politician took the initiative to start some small talk. Minako did her best to stay attentive, but thousands of questions were crammed in her head. The more polite Hino-san was to her, the more confused she got.

First, he had told her that it was a 'small family meal'. Was family including her or excluding her? The former was probably just her wishful thinking, something she's been doing too much these days. But the latter didn't make sense either considering she was not close enough to the Hino's to be invited to a meal in an intimate atmosphere.

Second, being the well-informed politician that he was, he must have heard some rumors about the latest gossips the press was spreading, especially if it pertained to his only daughter. Based on his friendly behavior, Minako logically assumed that Rei had explained the misunderstanding. Then again, if that were true, and the senator had nothing to worry about, then why was she invited to the dinner anyways?

_I'm back on square one. Just great._

"How long have you known Rei, Aino-san?" Hino Ikeda asked.

"Huh?" Minako snapped out of her thoughts. Then, quickly realizing her impolite outburst, answered, "Oh it was a long time back. We met when we were in junior high."

"That is indeed quite a long time. So it's been five years?"

"Six," Minako corrected.

Then to herself, she added, _Six years, eight month and twelve days._

If she were asked to calculate the exact hour and minutes, she would probably be able to do it on the spot. It was simply a moment in her life that she could never forget.

"Six years. Wow. How come we didn't meet earlier?" 

Minako's cheeks began to burn as she recognized the familiar questioning pattern. She had dated on a few occasions before. The first question her boyfriends' mothers would throw at her was how long they've knew each other, and depending on the reply, was either followed by a 'Oh, I see. No wonder my son's been bringing up your name a lot recently' or 'How come we've never met before this?'

"We weren't exactly on friendly terms in the beginning," she answered, her voice dropping in volume. Her heart pounded heavily and she was almost too scared and eager at the same time to hear what Rei's father had to say next.

And if she were right about where this conversation was going, the next question should be…

"What do you think of Rei?" the politician continued his investigation.

Oh God! She was right!

Now Minako was as lost as ever. Was she reading too much out of the question? Maybe it was her wishful thinking again. If so, how should she answer?

"Rei," she paused, choosing her words carefully, "is hard to approach at the beginning because she strikes people as cold and distant." _Not to mention incredibly beautiful_, she added mentally. "But once you get to know her she's very nice and concerned."

_And as stubborn as hell._

The politician nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer.

At last the ride came to an end and Minako stood in front of the Hino residence, whose size and extravagance was highlighted by the rainbow-colored lights flashing across the rooftop. For a second she fell into a daze, dramatized by the sheer magnificence of the mansion. 

Entering the Hino's living room, Minako was confronted with two new faces, a woman in her early thirties and a man slightly younger, somewhat handsome you could say, if you were interested in men. Hino Ikeda's alert eyes caught Minako scanning the adjourning rooms and guessed immediately who she was looking for.

"Rei's still changing and should be out in a few minutes," he explained.

Minako blushed, but managed to smile it off.

"Why don't I introduce everyone?" Hino Ikeda proceeded smoothly. "I'm sure we all know Aino Minako-san?"

The three exchanged bows. It was the first time Minako had a proper look at her hosts', and her own, clothing. She should have known that the Hino's would be dressed formally even for the intended family meal. She, on the other hand, had no time to change and was still stuck in her jeans and sweatshirt.

She could see from the corner of her eyes that the woman eyed her sense of fashion in an extremely disapproving way, but was polite enough to refrain from commenting.

Pointing to the woman on the left, Hino Ikeda continued, "This is my wife, Kou Ayako. And this," he finger moved right, "is Kaidou Akira, my student and secretary—"

Minako knew instantly from the way Hino treated Kaidou that this man was no ordinary secretary, that this was likely to be the man the senator had chosen to succeed him. And so young too. But the closer she looked at him, the more she felt that there was something more she was missing.

"—and Rei's fiancé."

---------------------------

Rei sat in her reserved bedroom at her father's house, tapping her feet impatiently against the leg of her chair.

"Why can't I go downstairs? It's been twenty minutes!"

"Because," the housemaid explained for the fifth time with her last bit of patience, "Your father is conducting some business with Kaidou-san at the moment. It's better for you to wait here until they're done."

"I know, but still…"

_Something just…feels wrong._

Her eyes wandered to the large Victorian-style window, a million thoughts sprang into her mind, and coincidentally, all about the same person.

_I wonder how she's coping. It's been a week with that new bodyguard._

Naturally Rei had felt something slightly off about Minako's bodyguard the second they met. She had been trying to warn the idol, but her stubborn Shacho-san absolutely forbid them seeing each other anywhere—in public, in private, anywhere. Minako had even tried to sneak out of her hotel twice unsuccessfully. ("Shacho-san must have gotten smarter since our senshi days," Usagi had commented over the phone). According to her Shacho, it was so that Minako doesn't catch more 'pests and bugs' that could potentially taint her career.

Rei swore to herself that the next time Sugao stepped in her direction he would get two punches thrown at him. One for making up that stupid lie about a relationship between herself and the idol (and might she add, one that has gone public), and the second for the indirect insult.

Despite Shacho-san being on high alert, two days ago Usagi, surprisingly, came up with a foolproof plan; she followed Sugao around all day whining and begging for permission for Minako to come to the Crown. And everyone knew how a whiny Usagi usually gets everything. But that didn't work out, which had surprised everyone except Minako ("I told you so").

Then came the Eighth Wonder. Their princess had apparently multiplied her brain cells since her teenage days and, yet again, came up with the ultimate ingenious plan: dropping her mother on the manager. Five minutes after Tsukino Ikuko entered the scene it was all settled.

_Not surprising considering she still blamed Shacho-san for messing up her one chance to become a reporter_, Rei thought.

The idol was given permission to leave the hotel the following day. Coincidentally, Rei's father had carefully chosen the same day to have an 'important conversation' with her. Considering that he had snuck her past the border without a visa, Rei simply couldn't refuse him.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Turning, she saw her father's secretary enter her room.

"Rei-san."

"Kaidou-san."

They greeted each other with polite formality.

"We're just about finished down there. Would you like to come down for dinner?"

_About time…_

But she could never say that aloud for the sake of her father's image.

"Of course."

Getting up, she was unaware of a pair of creamy brown eyes watching her behind the darkened glass of her father's personal limo. When she left the room side by side with Kaidou, so did the limo drive out of the Hino's property, carrying a heartbroken woman with it.

---------------------------

Minako pushed the door shut with a sigh. Her Shacho-san, of course, wanted to know exactly what happened at the Hino's the moment she got back, but she wasn't in the mood. Her face was flushed, her eyes swollen, and occasionally she let a sniff escape her dry lips. Right now all she wanted was some peace.

Rei had a fiancé. Kaidou Akira.

Somehow her mind couldn't rap itself around the concept, but she knew that once she did, she'd burst into tears again. And she didn't want that. Aino Minako doesn't cry. Period.

Still it hurt. It hurt so much that it felt like her heart was being torn apart. What was it that's making her feel this way? That Rei lied to her? That she didn't tell her best friend about her engagement?

Was it betrayal or jealousy?

Someone whispered the soundless question by her ear. She felt something stir within her, a powerful force unleashing, and her soul was instantaneously led to another dimension. There, she re-witnessed her past memories of Mars' favorite oak tree, of their first conversation on the Moon, of their first kiss…

It wasn't a dream. Minako was sure she was wide awake. But this time the memories were more heartfelt, more sensitive, more…more real.

"_No, but I do think that…Forget it. It's a waste of time to try to explain to you. I can't believe that you, of all people…"_

_Mars swept around, sending her long raven hair flying. Without another word she ran away, her arms still busy wiping at her tears. Still unsure of what started the whole argument, Venus watched her shadow for the last time, her heart utterly broken into a thousand pieces._

It was a scene that Minako remembered to well: the day that ended Mars and Venus' relationship in the past and her hopes of having her feelings returned in the present.

But instead of returning to her lodging as she had always done in Minako's dreams, Venus gazed up at the sky and seemed to speak directly to the idol.

Will you let it end that way again?

But I can't do anything…

Will you let her go like that?

But I don't…

Do you want to regret this all your life?

I…

Do you want to be heartbroken, like me?

No…

That's right. Don't let Mars go again. Don't repeat my mistake. Fight for her, Venus.

I…

Fight for Mars.

…Fight?

Yes. For the both of us.

…I will.

---------------------------

"Seriously, Ikeda, I still can't understand why you brought that Aino Minako home today."

The senator sat down his Home Improvement Bill papers and took off his reading glasses. Dinner had been long over and both Kaidou and Rei had headed home. Of course, the night passed uneventfully, with Rei barely speaking a single word unless a question was directed at her.

"It was for Rei's sake."

There was a short pause. "Masaka. Don't tell me you believed what those tabloid magazines said. Rei told you earlier that it was all just a rumor, didn't she?"

The politician turned to face his wife, whom he had married two years ago when his daughter turned eighteen. "I know my daughter, and I also know her preferences."

"You don't mean—"

"Aino Minako can't possibly just be a friend, or else Rei wouldn't have ran off to China and begged me for help. She's always been too proud to ask me for anything." He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "And that Aino must feel the same way, or else she wouldn't suddenly not feel very well and run back to the hotel."

His wife nodded, then quietly asked the obvious question. "So now that you know, what are you going to do?"

----------------------------

"Ami-chan?" Makoto stepped into the silent Crown. Beyond the loud buzzing of the computer, she could barely make out the clock striking eleven. Squinting her eyes in the darkness, she saw a small figure sleeping soundlessly under the light of the monitor.

_Man! Usagi was right.__ For once._

Stepping next to the exhausted girl, Makoto pronounced her name once more, but producing no response. Instinctually she brushed some loose strands of Ami's hair behind her ears. It felt so silky, so soft, so…

"So delicate."

The words formed so naturally that she didn't realize that she had said them. But they stirred the smaller girl from her sleep. Yawning slightly and apparently unaware of the other presence in the room, Ami muttered softly to herself:

"What time is it already?"

"It's past eleven already. How long—"

Startled, Ami jumped up from her chair, and since she was so conveniently sitting on the edge, ended up on the floor.

"Mako-chan!" Ami put her hand on her chest. "You scared me. When did you come in?"

Makoto pulled Ami on her feet, chuckling at how red the girl was turning after pulling off a Usagi-patented stunt. "I just got here. Now the real question is, how long were you planning on staying?"

"Well, I," Ami stumbled. "I was waiting for this program to finish running but then somehow fell asleep."

Taking a casual glance at the said program, Makoto almost chocked on thin air.

"Ami-chan! It takes ten hours to run! Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't wait with it?"

"But what if something goes wrong midway through?" Ami asked with her characteristically good sense.

Makoto sighed and tried to reason with her friend. "Look, I'm sure as important as your program is, it can wait until tomorrow. Right now you need some rest."

"Demo…"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Then softening her voice, she added, "Ami-chan, if you can fall asleep on that table—and believe me I've tried it before—you're either as tired as hell or you have insensitive muscles tissues. Either way it means that you've overworked yourself and need to go home."

Ami sighed in defeat and followed Makoto to her yellow Buggie, partially because she knew her arguments made no sense whatsoever. The young doctor knew that it was stupid for her to retreat into her work, but there was simply no way around it. She wouldn't dare closing her eyes because, as soon as she let her guard down, those unwanted memories start to fill her mind again.

At first it was okay, since it was logical to assume that her and her friends' past memories would be returned to them sooner or later. However, the more she remembered, the more she felt like as if someone was trying to take over her identity—her past-self, no doubt. For Mizuno Ami, who had naively assumed that her past would be similar to her present, the Sailor Mercury of the Silver Millennium was becoming more and more of a stranger. And Ami became afraid.

"We're here."

Ami snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at her friend. Makoto's car was already parked by Ami's hotel entrance. Quietly thanking her for the trouble, Ami pushed the car door open but didn't step out.

"Mako-chan, do you dream?"

"Eh?" Makoto gave a confused expression. "Of course I do. Everyone does. Why do you ask?"

Upon seeing her reaction, Ami quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. Good night."

Gently shutting the door behind her, Ami mentally scolded herself. When did it get so bad that she couldn't even look at Makoto properly without thinking about her in that way? Her past-self must have gotten more control over her than she had thought.

Makoto started up the engines after Ami safely disappeared into the hotel building. Thinking back to the sleeping Ami in the Crown, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something felt familiar. Then again, everything felt familiar recently. Like the time Motoki pushed Ami into the closet, or when she first heard the phrase 'Little Crystal Tokyo'. And sometimes, in the case of reading about Rei and Minako's 'relationship' in a magazine, she actually had a dream, which she presumed took place during the Silver Millennium, in which she and Mercury saw them kissing in a forest by accident.

Continuing her drive home, Makoto wondered what dreams she would have tonight.

----------------------------------

High above, Ami turned on her laptop and logged onto a familiar chatting server. As she had expected, someone was waiting for her already.

_TimeGuardian: Hi there. How did the program turn out?_

_Mizuno92: It's running smoothly thanks to your advice._

_TimeGuardian: I'm glad to hear that. Is there anything else you want to talk about?_

_Mizuno92: Not particularly. Why do you ask?_

_TimeGuardian: I just think there's more on your mind than the program._

_Mizuno92: Well, I guess that's true._

_TimeGuardian: So what's today's topic?_

_Mizuno92: …Dreams._

_TimeGuardian: You've been dreaming?_

_Mizuno92: Every time I close my eyes._

_TimeGuardian: Are they annoying you?_

_Mizuno92: … _

_Mizuno92: I guess I'm starting to get scared, bit by bit._

_TimeGuardian: Because you fear that they're taking over your daily life, right?_

_Mizuno92: Yes! How do you know?_

_TimeGuardian: People who dream frequently begin to mix their dreams with their realities. They can't distinguish between the two, sometimes because they don't want to. In extreme cases they start living in their dreams, and their real identities deteriorates._

_Mizuno92: I've heard about that. But my dreams are my past experiences, or at least I think so._

_TimeGuardian: Are you still the same person?_

_Mizuno92: ?_

_TimeGuardian: Your past and your present: are they the same person?_

_Mizuno92: I don't think so._

_TimeGuardian: Then you should treat your past like any other dream. If your pasts have no relation with your present situation, then they shouldn't influence it either. It might be nice to remember things, but they belong only to your memory._

_Mizuno92: I think I understand._

_Mizuno92: I guess I'll get some rest. Thanks for talking with me._

_TimeGuardian: You're welcome. Tell me when those dreams go away, okay? _

_Mizuno92: I will. Good night._

Crawling under the covers, Ami reflected on how perfectly TimeGuardian's words fit her situation, though they were obviously speaking about different circumstances. As always, her mysterious helper whom she met miraculously while searching for help on her program was always able to speak her mind. Yes, the dreams should be nothing but memories.

Perhaps she wasn't as strong as the other senshi when it came to physical strength, but her strength lie in her mental abilities, and she was not going to let her past take over her life as Mizuno Ami without a fight.

To be continued…

AN: Couldn't help but mix in a bit of the manga…:)

For those who are unfamiliar with the manga, Kaidou appeared in a side story titled Casablanca Memory.


	12. Have You Ever

AN: It's been a long time and I'm honestly sorry for the delay. Who knew applying to college was such a hassle? Well, maybe it was just me…

-------------------------------

Rei abruptly stopped her broom midway, a small pile of dry leaves still clinging to the edges. Her delicate eyebrows contorted into a frown, and she turned to face her guest.

"You still haven't answered my question."

Makoto froze in her narration. "Huh?"

Rei shook her head and continued sweeping the shrine's grounds. "Why are you here?" she asked with a sigh.

"Well, I was getting to that!" Makoto stood up angrily. "After I drove Ami-chan home last night I had this dream about the four of us back in…back in…" she tapped her head to find the right words.

"The Silver Millennium," Rei whispered.

"Sou! The Silver Millennium!"

"In other words," Rei added, "You're getting your memories returned."

"I guess you can say that," Makoto nodded.

"Then, doesn't it strike you more appropriate to talk with Usagi? She's an expert at this."

"Ah…" Makoto folded her arms and thought for a second. "I don't think she'll understand. I mean, she has her memories as the Princess, but that's different because she fell in love with Mamoru-kun before she got her memories. For me, the past is too different. I just haven't…never mind."

"You remembered more than you want to know." It wasn't a question.

The taller woman sighed, "How am I suppose to look at Ami-chan again if I keep on seeing...it's a weird feeling, you know? Usagi wouldn't understand."

Rei watched her friend doubtfully, "And what made you think that I can understand?"

Makoto felt taken aback. "Well, I thought we were going through the same things, you know, with you and Venus…"

Rei dropped her broom in surprise.

"Nani? You thought I didn't know?"

"I…I, um, I…" Rei stumbled, her heartbeat getting faster. Makoto had knew her feelings all along? How did she find out? Rei had always considered herself a master at hiding her emotions.

Makoto explained, "There was this one time when me, well, Jupiter and Mercury saw you guys kissing in some forest."

"Oh! That." Rei exclaimed almost too eagerly, relieved that her friend knew nothing of her present feelings. That…intense memory was still fresh in her mind. Since the day she and Minako got off the plane together, waves and waves of her life during the Silver Millennium crashed against her, carrying along a new identity—her past self. Rei didn't know how to deal with this overwhelming information, but increasingly she felt as if her sanity was in danger.

"So I assumed…" Makoto trailed off, her eyes focused on something behind the priestess.

"You assumed what?"

"Rei," Makoto pointed to a black car that just pulled into the shrine's ground. "Isn't that you dad's car?"

Rei turned, carefully observing the intruder. "No, it's a Mercedes. And the license plate is different."

"Really? Then it's probably one of those rich CEOs seeking your spiritual guidance," Makoto joked. "They just never know when to give up."

--------------------------

(That same morning, somewhat earlier)

Sugao leaned back on the sofa, slowly sipping his morning tea while glancing down the advice columns of several magazines. They provided absolutely all the answers that he would ever want to know: how to look gorgeous in five minutes, how to cook the best meal, how to write the tear-jerking love letter, etc.

Now, if only it had advice on how to inspire a certain idol to write more songs…

"Morning!" a bright voice, one that he had missed for some time, sang out.

"Minako, why, this is unusually early for you." Sugao shared a puzzling look with the other two occupants of the room. All three shrugged simultaneously and went back to their tasks as the singer moved past them.

"By the way," Minako poked her head back through the door, "I finished the arrangements of this song. Shacho, can you please look it over?" She placed several sheets of paper on the coffee table.

The reaction produced happened before a pin could hit the floor: Amachachi pushed away his laptop and snatched the papers while rubbing his eyes, Yuki dropped the pen and paper that she was scribbling on with her jaw on the floor, and Sugao, being the drama queen that he always was, jumped up from the couch and gave Minako a big hug, which she agilely ducted out of the way of.

"Finally! Minako!" her manager exclaimed.

"Tell me what you think," she smiled before disappearing into her suite again.

Sugao and Yuki clumsily scrambled next to Amachachi and together the three read over the lyrics:

Sometimes it's wrong to walk away, though you think it's over  
Knowing there's so much more to say  
Suddenly the moment's gone  
And all your dreams are upside down  
And you just wanna change the way the world goes round 

-Refrain-  
Tell me, have you ever loved and lost somebody  
Wished there was a chance to say I'm sorry  
Can't you see, that's the way I feel about you and me, Baby  
Have you ever felt your heart was breaking  
Lookin down the road you should be taking  
I should know, cos I loved and lost the day I let you go

Can't help but think that this is wrong, we should be together  
Back in your arms where I belong  
Now I've finally realised it was forever that I've found  
I'd give it all to change the way the world goes round

-Refrain-

I really wanna hear you say that you know just how it feels  
To have it all and let it slip away, can't you see  
Even though the moment's gone, I'm still holding on somehow  
Wishing I could change the way the world goes round

-Refrain-

Yes I loved and lost the day I let you go

For a moment none of them knew what to say. Then, in one word, Yuki summarized all that was on their minds.

"Sugoi."

"I think this is the best of all her lyrics," Amachachi agreed.

"Well," Sugao glanced down the page again with a satisfied smile, "I always told her that her love songs would never be first rate unless she knew what it was like to be in love."

"So you think?" Amachachi mentioned towards the page of lyrics.

"This," the manager took the lyrics in his hands and wiped the paper affectionately, "Is no doubt first rate."

Amachachi tilted his head in thought. "But how did she get this sudden inspiration? Who's her secret love? Let's see, who did she see yesterday? She went out with her friend at the Crown, then came back and Hino-sama…"

"Mars Reiko!" the two shouted out together.

"…I wonder about that," Amachachi rubbed his chin in doubt.

"Hmm," Sugao sat down and took off his glasses. "I can't believe that it came down to this."

"Came down to what, Shacho?"

The manager paused, "Tell me, Amachachi, an idol's public image is extremely important to her career, ne?"

"Of course it is! Minako-chan's popularity would drop significantly if she's found hanging out with the wrong people or doing wrong things."

"Then, what about the quality of her work?"

"I don't see how that has to do with—"

"Just answer my question: which is more important, quality or image?"

The assistant thought hard, "I suppose…quality would be more important in this case. I mean, if there's no quality, then there's not even any popularity to be damaged."

"Yoshi!" Sugao clapped his hands together in decision. "Tell the driver to get the car ready, Amachachi."

"Eh? But why do we need the car?"

"I don't need it, you do. You're going to visit Hikawa Shrine."

"Who…where?!"

Sugao flipped open his cell phone while slightly shaking his head. "You know, Reiko-chan alone called me twelve times last week to see Minako, and that's not counting the other forty something I got from Tsukino's kid asking for the same thing. Don't you think we should at least let Reiko-chan have a little chat with Minako?"

"But…"

"On some conditions, of course."

"You can't be serious! Weren't you saying all last week that they shouldn't see each other in case Reiko-san risks Minako-chan's popu…ohhh!"

"Exactly," Sugao smacked his slow assistant with a magazine.

"But, are you sure it's Reiko-san? I mean, the first time I saw them together at Reiko-san's first photo shoot, they were about to bite each other's head off."

The manager thought back to that day when Rei, a total stranger, busted into his office and said something that made no sense at all. Aino Minako would never quit singing. But, somehow those determined and anxious eyes convinced him, and he went along with her plan, even going as far as calling in filming personnel on their day off to set up the fake game show.

"It was Reiko who told me Minako was going to quit singing, who planned that entire fake game show."

"Uussooo!"

Sugao nodded, "I don't think we can categorize her as 'just a friend'. No one would go so far for a simple friend."

Amachachi shook his head in agreement, then stopped short. "But what happened last night? You know," he leaned in to Sugao's ear, "Minako-chan was looking pretty down when she came back."

"Oh…I bet they had a small argument and then later Reiko called and apologized. Didn't you see Minako's expression this morning? She's definitely somewhere on cloud nine today and probably won't come down for a while."

"Alright. Then, I'll get going, to find Reiko-san."

Amachachi grabbed his coat and hurried out of the hotel. Sugao sat back, examining his nails out of habit. Meanwhile, no one noticed the growing dark cloud hanging over Yuki's face.

--------------------------

Rei entered the manager's suite, with a downcast face but a clear sense of purpose. The thing she hated the most in the world was to beg others, and, thanks to a certain someone, she had to do it twice within a month—first her father and now the Shacho.

But before she could even decide how to open her mouth, the Shacho came to greet her with a more-than-friendly hug, and Rei, who knew nothing of his habits and couldn't avoid it skillfully like Minako, sufficed with a disgusted face.

"Reiko came to see Minako, ne? Well, I'm sure Amachachi already told you—"

"There's a condition, right? I can do anything."

"Sou?" Sugao threw Amachachi a knowing wink. "Anything? Well, then, how about…"

"Shacho! I can't find…" Minako called from her doorway, then spotting the priestess still in her robes, automatically forgot whatever it was that she couldn't find.

Sugao laughed inwardly, delightedly taken in the silent exchange of emotions between the two women. Their eyes, their gestures all explained that these were two people deeply in love with one another, whether or not they realize it.Ah, the young generation thinks they can hide everything, but when it comes to love, everything's out in the open.

And then Rei, despite her best efforts to keep cool, said nervously, "I, um…hey."

Sugao took Rei's wandering eyes as a hint, and made an effort to give them some privacy. "Amachachi, Yuki, why don't we go grab some coffee downstairs? Yuki? Yuki! Let's go."

Reluctantly the bodyguard threw down her pen and followed the manager out of the room. Her eyes lingered on the idol for a split second, but it didn't go unnoticed by Rei. For a moment they shared a glare, equal in intensity though different in purpose. Finally, Yuki broke off eye contact, and, with a polite bow, stalked away, defeated.

When it came to staring contests, Hino Rei was the one and only.

"What do you think of her?" Rei questioned after a short pause, waiting for the person in question to get out of earshot.

"Who?"

"That bodyguard," Rei spat, not even bothering to use her name. Apart from her intuitive feelings, which were barely ever wrong, something about her bothered the hell out of Rei. Was it her attitude? Her appearance? The way she looked at Minako? Yes, that was it. It was that look, like the way she had looked at her, the way Mars had looked at Venus.

_Stop!_ Rei mentally scolded herself. _Stop thinking about that._

"Yuki," she said the name with a low growl.

Minako shrugged, somewhat thrown off by the sudden question. "She's just like any other bodyguard I had, except more understanding, more skilled," and after a pause, added with a small smile, "and waaayyyy better looking."

Her exaggeration instantaneously brought the desired result. Minako grinned in triumph when the priestess' eyes lighted with anger.

Struggling to keep her voice level, Rei retorted, "I would be careful around her if I were you. Something about her just doesn't seem right."

"Are you trying to tell me that she's a youma?" the idol grinned even wider, noting the slight but ever-so-present jealous tone that underlies the seemingly neutral voice.

"No, I'm trying to tell you that she's more than that," Rei replied gravely.

Minako immediately nodded, recognizing the all-business look Rei was giving her. Rei and her spirituality were never wrong, and Minako took her words with caution. "I'll remember that."

Business aside, the awkwardness set in, sucking away the little, if any, ease they had keeping each other company. The conversation stalled, and just like every other time, the two, with separate thoughts on their minds, couldn't find the next logical thing to say. Rei moved her eyes towards the windows, silently musing why the manager had called her here with such urgency. And Minako, fully unaware of her Shacho's plans, glanced down at her hands out of habit, neither knowing what the priestess would say next and when she'd say it.

"Makoto's wedding is coming," Rei blurted out awkwardly for the sake of filling in the silence.

"Hai."

"It's this Saturday, ne? Only four days away."

"Hai."

"Usagi said she'd—"

"Hino-san invited me to dinner yesterday," Minako interjected, cutting short Rei's irrelevant fact-iteration.

Rei blinked, "Who?"

"Hino-san, your father?"

"Oh…He did What?"

Minako sighed, "It's true. He even introduced me to his wife and your fiancé."

"I…see…" Rei hesitated, then, having her head fully rapped around the matter, exclaimed, "Fiancé? What fiancé?"

"YOUR fiancé," the idol emphasized, clearly frustrated that Rei was still conceiving the truth from her.

"Mine?" the priestess pointed to herself, voicing her lack of knowledge on the matter.

"Kaidou Akira-san." Minako said bitterly, staring straight into the other's eyes, and surprisingly, finding that the confusion didn't clear up one bit.

Rei frowned, "Kaidou…Kaidou-san? You mean my father's secretary?"

"Hai! How long were you planning to hide your engagement from me?"

"But I…"

"Anyhow, congratulations. You two are perfect together. He's got it all: looks, money, background, status…"

"Minako?"

"Who would ever refuse him? And you father obviously likes him too…"

"Minako, you're rambling nonsense."

"So why don't you just marry him and go off to some mansion and have lots of kids and—"

"Minako!" Rei took one step forward and had to physically put a hand over the idol's mouth in order to prevent her from telling her entire life story. The other woman gasped lightly, her cheeks started to burn under the gentle touch. "Like I've been trying to say, he's not my fiancé. I don't have a fiancé. You know me; I have a particular dislike for political men. Besides, I would never agree to marry him."

Their eyes locked, each trying to send a silent message to the other.

_And why is that?_

_Because there's only one person that I want to spend my life with._

But none of them had the courage to say their thoughts aloud.

Rei moved away, suddenly realizing how close they were. Meanwhile Minako shifted to a new position on the couch, regretting her earlier reactions. She must have looked like an idiot, falling for the senator's words so easily. What's worse, she got jealous over something that obviously wasn't true. Rei was right: if she had only used her head, she would have known that the priestess would never be engaged to Kaidou Akira. But at the mere thought, she lost all of her common sense.

She had been in such a good mood this morning, so inspirational that she finished one song in two hours. At last she broke free of her past life, the ominous shadow that to some degree, even after the defeat of the Dark Kingdom, dictated her life as Aino Minako. Now that her past-self had told her that her fate was not frozen, that she could still hope for her feelings returned in the present even though it was doomed in the past, Minako was herself again, the strong-headed, stubborn woman who hate to lose, who knew she would never lose to anything.

Then she lost all her courage when Rei stood in front of her, when Rei's fingers brushed by her cheeks, when Rei looked directly into her eyes. Maybe confessing wasn't that easy.

No, she just needed to find the right moment.

"I wonder why Papa lied to you," Rei stated the obvious question, though secretly she herself knew the answer better than anyone.

The idol thought back to their conversation in the car, how the politician had treated her, and it all made sense.

"I know why," she said with total confidence.

"You do?"

"Hai," Minako stood up from the couch, slowly closing the gap between them. "And I think his actions were based on some _pretty solid_ suspicions."

Rei swallowed hard, watching the other woman approach with increasing nervousness. She wanted to move away, but couldn't find the strength to; she was having a hard enough time to tell her feet not to move forward.

"He…he…susp…suspected what?"

"Hmm…" Minako took one more step forward, their noses barely two inches apart…

_BBbrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggggg!_

The sound of Rei's cell phone going off shattered the moment. Rei hurriedly moved away to answer her phone, and Minako sat back down with a reluctant face.

"Moshi moshi? Nani? The Crown? Wagata. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Catching the other's curious look, Rei explained, "Ami-chan found something important. She wants us at the Crown."

"Oh.," Minako's face dropped. "Well, I can't go today. But can you tell me later what happened?"

Rei nodded understandingly, "I'll give you a call afterwards. And don't feel bad, the others will understand."

Left on her own, Minako let out a soft sigh. Rei had always been able to look at her and knew instantly what's on her mind. And if she had acquired some of the other's intuitiveness, she was certain that the priestess had wanted to step forward then, but something was clearly holding her back. Why did she hesitate? The idol simply didn't understand.

------------------------------

"It's getting late," Luna noted.

"Yeah, Ami-chan is never late to meetings. This is so weird," Usagi mindlessly toyed with the straw in her drink.

"I agree," Makoto added, "Because Usagi is never early."

"Aww…Mako-chan! I'm not a kid anymore!"

The three laughed, but the fourth member didn't even seem to hear their conversation.

Usagi tiled her head in confusion, "Rei-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, nothing."

The rest of the group shared a confirmation; when Rei spaced out, which she rarely did, something's definitely on her mind.

Luna persisted, "Rei-chan…"

_BBbrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggggg!_

For the second time, her cell phone had saved her from an uncomfortable situation.

"Moshi moshi? Eh? Who's this? Saitou-san?"

"How did Minako's Shacho-san get Rei-chan's phone number?" Usagi whispered to the others.

"Creepy…" Luna agreed.

"I think the better question is why is he calling Rei," Makoto replied.

"Huh? Oh, hai, the condition we agreed on earlier…Souka, I won't see her again…nani? You want me to what? Tomorrow? But I thought she wasn't allowed to go out of her hotel," a pause. "But where would I take her? Anywhere? Even with the press and media so focused on her right now? Are you sure? Anywhere we'd like to go? Just as long as she's…" Rei trailed off. "Hai, I understand. Tomorrow. I'll be there around ten in the morning. Okay, I won't tell Minako ahead of time. Okay, ja."

"Rei-chan Rei-chan! Is this what I think?" Usagi jumped up and down excitedly.

"Why are you so happy all of the sudden?" Makoto asked with perplexity.

Rei turned her face away quickly. "No! It's not what Usagi thinks!"

But that didn't stop Usagi from blurting out: "Sugoi! A date! Date!"

"Nani? Usagi, what are you talking about?" Luna joined in.

"Ne, you guys haven't noticed?"

"Usagi, I'm warning you…" Rei fumed.

"Noticed what?" Makoto and Luna asked in union.

"That Rei-chan and Minako-chan…"

"Usagi! It's not like that!"

Luna didn't take the hints, "Like what?"

"Oh!" Makoto gasped, finally comprehending. "Are you sure, Usagi?"

"What? What?"

"Luna!" Usagi yelled unbelievably, moving her two index fingers together.

"Ohhhh…"

"Man! I thought Mako-chan was dense enough. Luna must be just blind!"

"Hey!" the two protested together.

"You guys!" Rei interjected. "I said it's not…"

The door opened, and a very excited Ami rushed in, cutting short Usagi's victory moment.

"Minna! I found this!" she eagerly rushed down the stairs, but when she saw that the green chair was also occupied, her enthusiasm turned into uncertainty.

"…Mako-chan's here too…"

_Doshiyo?_

To be continued…

-----------------------------

Ok, so all rights belong to their proper owners, and the lyrics are from Have You Ever by SClub7. Pretty old song by a pretty old group, but hey, when I first heard it (in April) I was like: Yeah! That's what Mars/Venus' past should be like.


	13. The Present part 1

***A little recap***

**The door opened, and a very excited Ami rushed in, cutting short Usagi's victory moment.**

"**Minna! I found this!" she eagerly rushed down the stairs, but when she saw that the green chair was also occupied, her enthusiasm turned into uncertainty.**

"…**Mako-chan's here too…"**

_**Doshiyo?**_

"Oh, I bumped into Mako-chan on my way here," Usagi explained. "Ami-chan, you wanted all of us here, right?"

Makoto folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. "Why didn't you call me?" she asked, slightly angrily. "Is there something you'd rather I didn't know?"

"Mako-chan, hidoi!" Usagi jumped in for her friend. "Ami-chan's absolutely absolutely not like that. She probably just…just…"

Ami softly cleared her throat, "Ano, that was because…" Her eyes dropped involuntarily. "I thought Mako-chan was working at the Crown today. Gomen ne."

Ami bit her lower lip. It was such a transparent lie; everyone knew that Makoto only assisted her fiancé on the weekends when there were more visitors. She felt bad lying to her friends, but telling them the truth would be even worse. She only contacted Usagi, Rei and Minako because she didn't want the other woman here, and there was only one reason for it. Her past self has been seeking more and more control of her day by day, and Ami had planned not to see the source of the turbulence before she could gather some self-control.

Rei caught the pair of downcast eyes, and, looking between her two friends, mentally nodded. The fear and insecurity that Ami showed were unmistakable, and her behavior reminded the priestess a little of her own situation. It made complete sense that the young doctor didn't want to see Makoto, though Rei silently admired Ami's determination. Because as much as Rei wanted to escape her past, she just couldn't bring herself to stop seeing that certain idol.

"Ami-chan, what was it that you found?" Rei questioned, breaking apart the awkward moment while making a note to herself that she needed to talk things over with the doctor.

Ami's attention snapped back and her excitement returned. "Right, I almost forgot!" Rushing over to the computer, she typed in some lines of codes and plugged in her USB. "Take a look at this," she spun the screen for the others to see.

The four, Luna included, crowded around the desktop screen, staring blankly at the rows of numbers that ran incessantly from one side to the other. Their previous tension was quickly forgotten.

"Ano," Usagi scratched her head nervously, "I think it's a wonderful program, Ami-chan, but could you explain it for us?"

The genius nodded, "Some years back I tried to build a program that could detect new youma presences by measuring their negatively-charged particles. Each time a youma tries to teleport from the Dark Kingdom to Tokyo, it must undergo a process where it disassemble and reassemble on Earth, thus spreading vast amounts of negative energy. So by using linear progression and observing how quickly the two ends of the electrode come together, I thought that I could calculate the rate and location of congregation of the youma particles and hence know exactly where the next youma would appear."

Usagi threw her friends a confused expression. Luna automatically whispered, "It's some sort of youma detector."

Usagi jabbed Luna lightly on the side, protesting, "Hey! I'm finished college too! I got that part."

"I think that's as far as all of us got," Makoto added for comfort sake.

Rei nodded in agreement, "So what are all those numbers, Ami-chan?"

"Well, the original program actually never worked out since I never got a chance to measure the youma particle's charge…"

Simultaneously the same thoughts crossed everyone's minds: _I wonder why._

"…But I did do some testing with my transformation bracelet's positive particles and got some pretty accurate readings from that. Last week I began working on this project, which scans an area of radius 30 km for my bracelet-resembling particles. Look, this column is the readings I got six years ago from my bracelet, and this is the readings I'm getting now."

After several seconds of examination, Usagi exclaimed, "Wow! They're like almost identical."

"What does this mean?" Rei asked solemnly, already expecting half of the answer.

"The transformation bracelets still exist? Even with the Ginzuishou destroyed?"

"More precisely, Luna," Ami replied, "The **Ginzuishou** still exist, or at least a part of it. All of our senshi powers were fueled by the crystal, so I think the readings I got from my bracelet was actually those of the Ginzuishou."

"So, you're saying a piece of the Ginzuishou could be lying around somewhere in Tokyo?" Makoto clarified, still overwhelmed by the information.

"Sou. It may be just a small piece, but if we find it we may be able to retrieve our senshi powers."

"Sugoi! Ami-chan you're amazing!"

Ami smiled her shy smile.

Luna pondered, "Demo why did Ami-chan create this program?"

"It was actually Usagi-chan who got me thinking about this idea. That day at Rei-chan's shrine, she said that we were stuck in our old forms. But as senshi our primary objective is to protect our princess. Therefore," she smiled at Usagi, "Our duties never end as long as Usagi-chan is here, so I suspected that our powers were never gone in the first place."

Five pairs of eyes locked.

"Of course, with those new enemies, Svetu or whatever, we can't let our precious princess get hurt, ne?" Makoto smiled.

"Sou yo. I've never thought about it that way, but now that Ami-chan mentions it, I do feel that we are always somehow connected with our powers."

Luna nodded, "Rei-chan's right. Even your ordinary powers, like Mako-chan's strength, Rei-chan's spiritual insight, and Ami-chan's intelligence, come from the fact that you're all senshi."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go dig up that crystal right now!"

"It's not that easy, Usagi," Makoto reasoned. "We don't know where it's located; thirty kilometers is a large distance."

Ami removed her glasses. "I suggest we start tomorrow. That way I can run through a more accurate program tonight to pinpoint some highly likely places where the Ginzuishou might be located."

"Then we can meet at the Crown in the morning and go from there," Rei suggested.

"Wrong!" Usagi jumped up and ran behind her friend. "Rei-chan, aren't you forgetting something very _very_ important?"

"Nani?" Rei played dumb. How could she forget?

"Tomorrow," Usagi stated matter-of-factly, "I want you to take Minako-chan somewhere nice and have fun. That's an order from your princess."

"Doshite? The five of us together will make the searching faster."

"Six," Luna corrected.

"Right, gomen, six."

"Because!" Usagi put her hands on her hips. "Just _because_! Minako-chan doesn't have enough time to have fun. Before she was Sailor V, then she became Venus, and now she has her career. She's kept so busy by so many things that she doesn't even have time to breathe in between. She's really empty inside because she doesn't have a big happy family that she can reply on."

"A big happy family?" Ami exchanged perplexed looks with the other three, but dropped her gaze when she reached Makoto.

"We're a family!" Usagi emphasized. "We're always here for each other as friends, as companions, as senshi. And we also have our own relatives and," Her eyes caught Makoto's, "And soon-to-be husband. But Minako-chan doesn't have any of that. She's always here and there and everywhere, working hard as a donkey…okay, hmm, that didn't sound right. Anyways, we've never had a chance to see her face-to-face until Mako-chan announced her wedding!"

"Usagi…" Makoto trailed, surprised that her princess, for the second time, showed maturity and insight that toppled all of them—well, Ami excluded. But Usagi's and Ami's intelligence was different. She couldn't explain it, but it was different somehow.

The informer took a deep breath, "And on top of that, she doesn't have any parents or any relatives that she can rely on. She grew up in an orphanage and was really nothing and no one until Shacho-san discovered her talents. After that her company became her only family. And she never left for holidays because there's no where to go. So Rei-chan, how can you not see how special, how important tomorrow will be for her? How dear you are to her?"

The woman in question turned pale, a deep frown set on a normally smooth complexion. How could she have been so blind? She thought she had seen through the idol, but in reality she didn't know her at all. Come to think of it, there were many aspects about her life that Rei knew nothing of. And yet she blindly went around, acting as Minako's friend, offering advice. How could she have the right to tell her what's good and what's bad when she hardly knew her?

And she felt guilty. Guilty because there was someone who knew more than she did. Perhaps it was jealousy too. Rei had always hated losing, and she couldn't believe that she lost, for her, the most important match.

A soft hand lightly touched her shoulder. Looking up, Rei saw Ami gave her an understanding smile.

"Don't blame yourself, Rei-chan. You couldn't have known so much."

"Speaking of which," Luna added, "How did Usagi-chan get all that information?"

With a swift motion, Usagi pulled out a golden card from her wallet. Proudly she moved it in slow motion in front of everyone's eyes (just for effect) while putting her free hand on her hips.

"Aino Minako fan club gold VIP member?" the spectators leaned in with disbelief. The serious mood shattered instantly.

"Uso!" Makoto bowed her head in defeat. "I've been trying to get that for years, and they only issued a hundred of those worldwide. How could you…?"

"Shacho-san gave it to me, all thanks to Mama," Usagi waved it around in delight, her previous all-knowing atmosphere replaced by her usual immature side. "And Papa's a reporter, so I'm invincible when it comes to celebrity news!"

"Usagi and her connections," the other Minako fans muttered under their breaths.

"So, Rei-chan, no matter what, you absolutely definitely have to—"

"Yes, yes, I get it," Rei interjected, still feeling uncomfortable whenever Usagi said 'date'.

"Ano," Ami began hesitantly, "Maybe I'm getting it wrong, but Rei-chan and Minako-chan are going on a…a…"

"Yep!" their princess jumped happily. "A date! Isn't it great, Ami-chan?"

"Usagi…" the priestess fumed. "Stop using that word."

"Sou ga," Ami nodded, then adding, "Finally."

"Eh? Ami-chan knew?"

"Of course she did. It's only you and Mako-chan who are slow."

"Hey!" the two protested.

"Then it's all settled!" Usagi clapped her hands together. "Tomorrow the four of us will go search for the Ginzuishou. Ah! I almost forgot. We still need to find the perfect place for Minako-chan!"

"There's no need to go through all that trouble," Rei tried weakly.

"Of course there is! Ah! I remember reading somewhere that Minako-chan loved beaches. Maybe…"

Luna shook her head, "Not for the first date."

"Then how about a movie?"

"Speaking from personal experience, I don't think that's a very good idea," Makoto commented.

"Oh…then, let me think…I know! Ami-chan, let me go on the internet."

Rei sighed heavily. _This is going to be a long day._

---------------------------------

(At night)

"You called, my lord?"

The Chief stopped brandishing his sword and gently set it aside. Rising from the throne, he lightly waved his hand to offer a seat to the kneeling woman.

"Thank you, my lord," Yuki bowed deeply before taking the stool.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you during night, but I've found this to be the best time to meet, as you are always busy during the day."

"Not at all," she replied politely.

The Chief cleared his throat, "I wish to inquire on your progress. It's been more than two weeks. Have you any new information regarding the senshi or the Ginzuishou?"

"Not very much. However, it seems that Mercury has some start on the Ginzuishou; she has been working on some sort of searching program for the past week. And apparently someone has been helping her with her program through a chat room. I couldn't tract down the identity, but he uses the nickname 'TimeGuardian'."

"Sou? Seems like she's carrying out her part of the plan," the Chief rubbed his chin in thought.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, nothing. Anything else?"

"This is just a guess, but I think the senshi are restoring their memories from the Silver Millennium."

Startled, the Chief stood up, causing his stool to fall backwards. Slowly he paced the room, while his eyes wandered in thought.

"It has to be her…yes, it must! But why…"

Yuki began uncertainly, "Pardon me for my curiosity, my lord, but who is this person you speak of?"

"I'm sorry. When the time's right, she'll reveal her identity to you. Until then, I can't say anymore."

"I understand."

"Oh, yes, what about Motoki?"

"The same as always," she sighed. "He won't accept reality until it hits him in the face."

"You talked with him?"

"Yes, a while back. The more you try to convince him, the more he'll stay away from you. That's the way that guy is. I think he'll come around on his own with the rate Jupiter and Mercury are regaining their memories."

"I see." A pause. "What about you, Yuki? Have you been regaining memories?"

Her facial features tightened instantly, but as quickly as it was done, it was gone. "I don't understand. I recalled all my memories the day I was awakened by your lordship."

"Is that so? Well, I must say that's a good thing. Memories are often unreliable, distorted unconsciously to the person's liking. When that happens," he squinted his eyes, "Memories are a source of mishaps."

_He's testing me!_ She thought angrily, though on the surface she remained calm. "But your lordship would never lie to me."

"I'll always treat you with the same respect and trust that you give me." His smile was twisted. "On another note, I've heard on several accords that for the past two weeks, you have been blocking attack efforts made by our troops on the senshi. The latest happened just two days ago, when the Princess and Venus exited Crown Karaoke. You told them you would use the restroom, and then made our troops turn back."

"My lord, that's…"

The Chief held up a hand for silence. "Now, I'm sure you have very good reasons for doing so, but I do want to make clear that this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable."

Yuki took a deep breath, "I deeply apologize. However, the attacks were all initiated on Venus, and I was hired to protect her. My job would be endangered if I did not intercept. Please tell Svetu that he can harm any senshi, but just not the one under my protection."

Her superior let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. "My, my, what an argument. You make it sound like as if _I_ ordered you to protect her. Why still work for humans? I must say this again: you're not part of those lowly beings. You belong with us, people that have the power to transcend time!"

"With all due respect, my lord, I have explained my reasons before and I will continue to do so until I can make you understand. I have three younger siblings that I must support."

"And I respect your decisions so long as they do not interfere with your work for me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes my lord."

Softening his tone, the Chief continued, "I have ordered Svetu to lead another assault on the senshi. This time, just step out of the way and pretend as though nothing happened."

"As you wish."

After she took her leave, a dark shadow originally concealed behind two large pillars immerged from a corner of the room.

"Did you see it all?" the Chief asked.

"Yes my lord."

"What do you think?"

The man hesitated, then literally threw himself on the floor. "Please my lord! I'll do anything! Please teach me a way to stop her!"

The Chief shook his head in dismay. "I'm sorry, Svetu, but what's done cannot be undone. The day that you returned her partial memories, those without Venus, you also borrowed my powers to seal her ability to remember more of her past. However, now that she broke through the seal, there's nothing more I can do to take away the new memories she recalled."

"My lord!"

"It's also time for you to face the truth. You insisted on reviving her for the sake of your unrequited love, but we all know that it's a façade; she only had feelings for you as long as she forgot those for Venus, and even if she never remembered, your relationship will still be nothing but an illusion founded upon the false memories you installed on her."

Silence enthralled the empty room, interrupted sporadically by Svetu's quiet sobs.

_Chikusho__! Venus! I'll personally see to your end. _

On a Wednesday morning, typically there were not too many visitors at the amusement park; therefore the young woman leaning by the ticket counter caught many questioning looks from the staff on duty. One of the younger workers even tried to approach her if not for the totally disgusted and indifferent face he was confronted with.

"No luck, Takae-kun?"

The young man sat back down next to his amused supervisor and shook his head. "But I wonder. She looks so familiar. Have you seen her before, Matsushita-san?"

"Hmm, can't tell when she's wearing sunglasses. Oh, hello there, ma'am. How many tickets would you like? Takae, pass me one adult and three children tickets."

The young assistant did as he was told, his eyes still lingering on the scowling woman standing outside. Somewhere, he too had seen this exact expression on someone before. But who? When? Where?

_What am I doing?_

Rei tapped her foot repeatedly against the ground, an odd habit that perhaps showed more annoyance than impatience and nervousness. Annoyed not at Minako for being nearly an hour late. Apart from concerns for her health, Rei knew she could never be angry with her. Not at Shacho for threatening her to take a entire day off from her shrine duties to accompany an idol on the basis that he could get her arrested for trespassing into another country without permission (somehow Rei sensed that Shacho would use this against her until the day he or she died—whichever came first). And definitely not at Usagi, who kept her up all night looking for the perfect place with just the right amount of 'magic', as she had put it.

After all, Rei couldn't stop herself from taking advantage of Usagi's VIP status. Without catching too much attention—unlike Makoto—she discreetly glanced over the various photos and entries posted exclusively under the VIP section. She rendered herself a fool: of the various ways she tried to understand the idol, the internet just never occurred to her.

No. She wasn't mad at anyone but herself. Since the moment she crept into bed, which was already morning, till now, she'd been repeating the same questions over and over.

_What am I doing?_

_Why am I doing this?_

It had just occurred to her last night that she was actually enjoying it from the start: from the time Shacho's assistant dropped by her shrine to the date to Usagi's unnecessary help. Rei always pushed the blame on others, telling herself that she was forced into this, but secretly she knew she could have refused from the start if she had only wanted to.

That was the part that bothered her.

She _never_ wanted to refuse. What's worse, she never even thought of it. She just played along, acted dumb, all the while enjoying where this chain of events were leading to.

True, she liked being around Minako. It was futile to deny the fact. Before she met her, she was positive that she didn't like boys. The question about girls never came up since her hatred usually extended to all human beings. And then Minako just popped into her life and became…for the lack of better words, a big part of it. She couldn't count the hours and days she spent chasing after the decoy princess, and later, worrying sick about her health. At fourteen she could have mistaken her attachment as friendship. But six years have passed, and after experiencing Minako's death, she would only be lying to herself if she still categorized her as a friend.

But not yet a lover. Minako was her own category.

"Rei-san!"

A shout disrupted her chain of thoughts. Looking up, Rei had to admit that it was the person she didn't want to see the most at the moment.

"What are you doing here?" This was definitely one more thing to be annoyed over.

Yuki panted visibly, "Shacho-san told me to come along. Sorry if you were expecting a nice day with only Aino-san." Her eyes glowed with mischief. "I can't promise to keep out of your way."

"But you can try," Rei retorted angrily.

"As you wish, Rei-san," the other complied half-heartedly.

"Where's Minako?"

"At the west gate. There are too many people here, plus some reporters followed us out of the hotel. We took a short detour."

"Detour?"

"Yeah. We drove around to the airport, then looped around the Juuban hospital, and made a U-turn to the amusement park."

"You call that a detour?"

"What would you call it?"

"An understatement."

The bodyguard laughed, "You've got a strange sense of humor, Rei-san, as always. These things never change."

"Have we met before?" Rei's eyes narrowed.

Realizing her mistake, Yuki coughed awkwardly and rushed to produce a possible explanation. "You probably don't remember, but a long time ago I worked as your father's bodyguard. Whenever you argued with him, you always slipped in a sarcastic remark here and there."

"Is that so?" Rei replied with askance. It was a transparent lie.

Before she could further press the matter—and find out once and for all why she always felt strange vibes around Yuki—a quiet and uncertain stumble caught their attention.

"R *hic* Rei…Rei-san!"

She didn't need to turn around to remember the hiccups that accompanied her all day some years ago at the same amusement park. It was, simply put, one of the worst days of her life.

"Do you know him?" Yuki whispered close to her ear.

The priestess nodded, "Takae-san. I met him once through a friend a long time back."

"Yoshi. Let me take care of him. Rei-san, go meet Aino-san by the west gate. She'll get impatient soon." Yuki winked, but it lack any trace of warmth.

They separated. Rei, instead of picking up her pace, slowed to almost walking backwards. A part of her wasn't ready to see Minako just yet; there were still things to be figured out, and Rei hated being confused.

One month ago she would have jumped at the opportunity to spend a whole day with the idol, although on the surface she would put on her expressionless face and act nonchalant. But that was one month ago, one month before she regained her memories.

How did Usagi manage to pull off so well? Rei wondered. She and Mamoru were in love, but she never questioned the origin of her affections. Did it ever come across her that it could be the Princess who loved Mamoru, and not Tsukino Usagi? And the only reason she felt that way was because the Princess, a totally different person, was her past self and implanted memories in her?

_Maybe I should talk this over with Usagi,_ Rei decided. _After all, no use to hide anything if she already knew._

Time passed by too quickly for Rei and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the gate, a certain woman slowly approaching in her direction. Rei had to admit that the idol blended quite well with the crowd today, for someone who normally stood out so much.

At first glance Minako seemed her normal self, but something troubled Rei. Perhaps it was the way her cap shadowed the top part of her face, or how her sunglasses made her inscrutable eyes even more impenetrable. Minako is one of the few individuals (her father another) that Rei just can't read. She simply couldn't detach herself enough to look at Minako objectively.

"What took you so long?" No greeting, no teasing; Rei could tell from the tone of voice that the idol wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.

"Ahh, I ran into some guy at the main entrance. But Yu…your bodyguard took care of that for me. Listen, she…"

A group of pedestrians passed by, glancing curiously at Minako.

"Doesn't that girl look like Minako?"

"Minako who?"

"Aino Minako!"

"Oh, now that you mention it…"

Fearing being spotted, Rei pulled the idol into the park and found a rather secluded place with only five other people around them. Turning back to Minako, she continued in a whisper, "She, your bodyguard just told me she worked for my father and that she had met me before."

Minako looked lost. "So? It's possible, isn't it?"

"Well, for one thing my father never hires female bodyguards. He thinks it would ruin his image somehow. And second, he never brings his bodyguards when he comes to the shrine. So there's absolutely no way we could have met. I'm beginning to believe more and more that she is an enemy."

"Just because she lied to you?" Minako was unconvinced.

"No, because I know we've met somewhere before. I can feel it around her. Maybe she's also from the Silv…" Rei stopped short, realizing that the past would only complicate present matters. For all she knew, Minako recovered her memories at the hospital already. What if she insisted to continue their relationship from the Silver Millennium?

_That's ridiculous!_ Rei reflected. _She would never force me to do anything. The worst is that she'll tell me to…_

_To leave, like the time before we defeated Metallia's youma._

And that's something Rei absolutely would not do for a second time.

Just as Rei struggled to find a reason for her silence, she saw Yuki jogging towards them from her right. Minako noticed too, and believing that her bodyguard's presence was the reason Rei cut her speech, told Yuki to go buy two cups of coffee.

"Are you serious? Man., the nearest coffee shop is next to the hospital. With the morning traffic, the coffee's going to get cold by the time I make it back!"

"Doesn't matter. Just do as I say."

"But…"

"Go!!" Minako shouted angrily.

Both Rei and Yuki, with wide eyes, took a step back at the outburst. Neither of them had ever seen the idol loose control of her temper. Normally she was well-composed in both her public and private life.

"H-hai." The surprised bodyguard complied hesitantly and ran to the black Mercedes.

Rei took in a shaky breath and ventured to touch the other's arm gently. Something was not right.

"Minako, what's wrong?"

To her surprise, the idol slapped her hand away furiously. "What's wrong? You're asking me what's wrong? Have you forgotten what you said to me yesterday?"

The priestess thought hard. She really did. But nothing worth remembering occurred to her.

Minako shook her head in frustration, "You told me you'd call me! Do you know how long I waited last night?"

"Oh…well…" Rei tried to explain. "The meeting ran long and it was already midnight by the time—"

"You know I never go to sleep that early," came the bitter retort.

"I…" In reality, last night they conceded to keep the search of the Ginzuishou between the five of them, at least for the time being. 'We all know how Minako-chan is going to react if she finds out about it,' Usagi had said. Luna added, 'Minako-chan definitely needs a break, so let's not tell her until we desperately needs her help.'

"I knew it." A short, forced laugh escaped the pink lips. "It doesn't matter. You're not the first. Nobody remembers their promises to me. No one…"

That single desperate laugh was enough to break Rei's heart. "No! It's not like that. It's just…" Here she hesitated. If she told Minako the real circumstances, she knew exactly what she would do: insist on helping her fellow senshi. But the way the conversation was progressing might…

She settled for what she thought was the better choice. "Minako, we decided that it would be best if you didn't know about this." Then she began recounting the events at the Crown, leaving out certain embarrassing and awkward moments. It might be wrong; it might make things worse. But Rei knew what it felt like to loose faith in someone. She has felt it since her mother passed away. At the very least, she wanted to save Minako from the pain.

There was a long pause after the priestess ceased speaking. She dared not lift her head to meet the other woman's eyes.

"Mars."

A simple name, but to the listener it meant something completely different. Since their senshi days, the idol had stopped calling her by that name when she could help it (the state of unconsciousness being obviously excluded). The mentioning of it now could only mean that Minako is very, very ticked off.

"Mars, why did you call me out here today? Just so that I don't find out about the Ginzuishou?"

_No, because your Shacho made me._

_And I wanted… _

Rei made up her mind and spoke slowly, "No, I wanted you to be selfish for one day."

"Eh?"

The priestess lifted her head and gazed directly into the other's soul. She could feel irritation build up inside, a reminiscence of six year ago. "You…you're always so dutiful, so hardworking, so selfless, always putting everything in front of yourself. Your senshi duties, your singing: when was the last time you took a break from it all?" Minako looked away. "Exactly my point. Why can't you let the things around you disappear for just one day? The world still functions without Aino Minako."

"Demo," Minako protested. "I'm the leader! How can I…while the others…"

"That's the problem! You're the leader, so you have to do everything. You assume that we all need you there every single time. Can't you see that you don't need to stress out that much? The others will do just fine. Hell, we even defeated the Dark Kingdom without—"

Rei stopped, suddenly realizing what had come out of her mouth. It always drove her crazy when Minako needed to be told the most basic things. But it was no excuse to not keep a check on the things she said, for mentioning the unspeakable event.

Slowly a drop of crystal oozed out of the idol's eye. Rei watched it mark a transparent path down her face and curving down her chin, feeling absolutely stupid. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything to comfort Minako. She simply stood there, hesitating.

Then unconsciously her hand softly wiped away the tear, backtracking its path back to the idol's cheek.

"I'm sorry," she heard her voice form the words. "I just hate it when you worry about everything except yourself. All I want is for you to be happy."

Minako's eyes widened. All other things shrunk in significance. Could this be Rei speaking to her? For once she could see clearly through the priestess; the normally hazy eyes shone with a bright inner light. Love. Unconditional love.

The priestess' fingers brushed by her cheeks, but Minako caught the hand in her own. She moved her lips to respond, but the words were caught in her throat. She tried again, and again, and…

"Aino-san! I got your…woah!"

In the most awkward movement, one that Rei later reasoned was physically impossible, Yuki tripped on nothing but thin air, two cups of coffee flying out of her hands.

"Oh no!" the bodyguard pulled herself up from the ground, staring regrettably at the spreading puddle of warm liquid on the ground. "I'm terribly sorry! I can't believe this happened! I—ahh!" She leaped back in surprise.

"Neither. Can. I." was all Rei manage to squeeze out with her temper in control.

Miraculous one cup of coffee landed perfectly on the priestess' blouse, forming several giant stain marks on the fine cloth. But Minako, standing merely several inches away, was—

Rei eyed Yuki dangerously.

_Nice…aim. _

To be continued…


	14. The Present part 2

AN: Alright alright alright, I **really** slacked off this time. It's what I call post-college application emptiness, and if anyone has been through that period, you know how you never want to do anything that requires effort. But I'm slowly pulling out of it…slowly. That's why this update is soooo overdue. Plus the fact I got addicted to knm and shiznat.

Ya, I'm really mad at myself too. But lucky for me there's my reviewers who told me to keep on going. And Grevlis actually send me an email! I'm so touched. Anyways, this chap is dedicated to you and all those who kept this story alive.

My deepest and sincerest apologies. I can only write to make up for my laziness.

**-------------------------**

**Miraculous one cup of coffee landed perfectly on the priestess' blouse, forming several giant stain marks on the fine cloth. But Minako, standing merely several inches away, was—**

**Rei eyed Yuki dangerously. **

_**Nice…aim. **_

"Oh no!" Ironically the culprit was the first to speak, running up to the now coffee-covered woman and bowing repeatedly. The faked sincerity was impressive, and Rei almost fell for it. Almost.

"Rei-san, are you okay? I'm sooo sorry! I don't know how…"

_Sure you don't. _Rei felt the increasing urge to teach her a lesson then and there.

"Yuki, what are you doing?!" Minako scolded, stepping into her role as the employer. Rei knew her place, and yelling at someone else's employee was somewhere she didn't want to go. Plus, given Minako's mood, Rei was happy—slightly too eager—to see her dishing it out on the person who deserved it.

Yuki notably cringed, bending so low that her body almost seemed to have snapped in half. When she straightened herself again, which she only dared to do long after the string of reproaches from her employer had stopped, Rei noticed something different in those eyes. Normally full of mischief, this time they burned with an indescribable sensation. It was piercing. Yes, it was trying to force its way into someone's soul.

Rei suddenly felt a shiver down her spine, a signal of her heightened spiritual senses. There was a short ring in her ears and she felt the same unsettling aurora of a youma. So this was it. Yuki was finally revealing her true face. A part of her still blamed herself. If only she had convinced Minako to dispose of her bodyguard earlier, they wouldn't be in such a dangerous position. Now that neither of them had the power to fight, it was as hopeless as ever.

Still, Rei would never forgive herself if Minako were hurt. Slightly clenching her fists, she prepared to anything necessary to protect the woman beside her.

The air around them thickened. For a split second time stopped, and the three of them stood stationary, no one dared to make the first move.

But nothing happened.

Yuki stood without moving an inch, her eyes glued to Minako's. Confused as she is, Rei was sure that something else was going on between them. When she looked back up at Yuki's eyes, she was shocked to see the menace dissolving into despair, even regret. With another second came a fresh set of tears.

The tears rolled down her cheeks stirred Yuki back into reality, and her eyes instantly regained focus. As if just remembering her actions, she turned and ran.

Rei slowly let out her breath. Although she had absolutely no clue what just happened, she was glad it was nothing of significant importance, such as getting into a fight with a youma.

"Rei…"

Turning, Rei found Minako still dazed.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked with concern.

Minako met her eyes, then looked in the direction in which Yuki ran off, and then shook her head.

"I don't know…"

But somehow Rei had the feeling that Minako did.

------------------------

Luna suddenly stood up, her ears perked up.

"Youma!"

"Nani?" Usagi asked frantically. Beside her, Ami tensed too. "Where?"

But Luna didn't respond. She looked around uncertainly, her ears wiggling in all directions.

"Luna, what is it?" Usagi watched her impatiently. Her feet tapped the floor nervously.

"It's…gone," Luna stated and hesitated. Then she said again with more confidence, "It's gone."

"Maybe it was just your imagination, Luna," Usagi sat back down, relieved. Ami, her hand on her chest, breathed out and returned to her computer.

There was a muffled crash upstairs, which caused all three to jump. Shortly after, the door to the Crown secret room flung open, and a disordered Makoto ran in.

"What's the matter?" she asked, her eyes highly alert. "I heard Luna screaming youma."

"Sorry, Mako-chan," Luna apologized. "I thought I felt a youma presence, but I guess it's just me. I didn't mean to scare you."

Makoto visibly relaxed and, pushing herself off the railing, which she ran into when she first rushed in, and came down the stairs at an even pace.

"But now that Mako-chan's here, we can get on with our search for the Ginzuishou!" Usagi's eagerness easily melted away the anxiety. "Ami-chan, what were you saying before?"

"The program pinned down ten possible locations in total. Now, keep in mind that these are only possibilities. The crystal might not be at any of these places. But it's a good start."

"The search might go faster if we break into pairs," Luna suggested.

"Good idea! Then, me and Luna will search the Crown first, and Ami-chan and Mako-chan can head over to—"

*Thump*

Usagi froze with her hand still in the air, turning to see the source of noise. At the bottom of the stairs sat Makoto, one hand on the floor and the other rubbing her behind.

"I…I wasn't watching where I was going and took too big of a step…" she mumbled in explanation.

Usagi was too surprised to move. Mako-chan, the most athletic and coordinated of them all, just fell down a set of stairs? She blinked. Yep, the tall woman was still on the floor, now rubbing her sore leg. She blinked again, still not taking the scene in.

Luna got up to help, but seeing as Makoto was twice her size, she struggled to pull the woman on her feet to no avail. Then Ami left her seat to assist as well. The moment her hands touched Makoto's arm, something shot through the taller woman and she stood up in a flash, as though she was never injured.

"Mako-chan, are you alright?" Ami asked, busy checking her friend for injuries.

Makoto skipped over to the nearest seat and reassured, but avoided further eye contact with the young doctor. "I'm fine. It's nothing major. Don't worry yourself, Ami-chan."

Usagi watched the entire exchange in silence and understood why Makoto had fallen in the first place. Call it her princess instincts, sometimes she just knows without any concrete evidence.

"Ah, Mako-chan, since you hurt yourself, why don't you and Luna look in the Crown first and me and Ami-chan will start somewhere else?"

She noticed a fleeing relief pass through Makoto's deep brown eyes. Justified that she did the right thing, even though she was still confused, she was about to pull Ami with her until Luna decided to interrupt.

"Eh? But I thought you just said that Mako-chan and Ami-chan are…"

"Oh, did I?" Usagi scratched her head, secretly sighing at how dense the cat could be at taking hints. "But I'd like to ask Ami-chan a few things about her program. I still don't really get it. Okay Ami-chan? Let's go!"

--------------------------

Glancing through the rows of clothing, Rei's eyes grew wider and wider the more price tags she read. It was a high brand store. She should have just refused when the idol pulled her in.

But of course Minako had her reasons. The higher the prices, the less customers. And since this particular store was unbelievably expensive, they were the only people inside apart from three sale clerks.

"So that I won't be spotted," Minako had explained. Rei hated to admit it, but she was right.

She pulled out a modest grey t-shirt, something that was plain and probably relatively cheep. She read the price tag, and stuffed it back on the shelf without another word. But apparently not quick enough.

"This would look good on you," said Minako, pulling out the shirt Rei just put back. She looked at the price too, but didn't seemed the least surprised.

Rei sighed. That shirt toppled her monthly salary, and unless she miscounted, she didn't even have half the amount in her wallet. Which means…

She examined the small purse Minako carried and hoped that it didn't contain enough either. But judging from the way the idol never bothered about the prices, it was probably just her wishful thinking.

"What do you think about this color?" Minako held a new item up for examination.

When it comes down to it, Rei knew not even a crane can move the singer's determination. No one knew Minako's temperament better than she did. But she still had to try. It was simply against her nature to take advantage of other people. Helping others has always been one of her best virtues but it was only a one-way street. When the tide runs the other way she'd flatly refuse, not because she didn't need help, but partly because she didn't want to show any weakness. The other is that she hated owing people favors. Favors were cumbersome and they kept scratching her heart until she got them repaid.

But then she had to take that all back. Stepping out of her teens she was a different person. All of her friends, Usagi, Ami, and Makoto, had shown her true companionship and she was grateful that these were people who she can unhesitantly turn to for help, who always supported her.

And it was ironic that with Minako, the person she felt the closest to, Rei wasn't able to be herself. She felt the resurging need to act strong and independent, as if for her alone. No, she was wrong again. There was another person she felt that way about.

Recently she noticed Minako and Papa had been appearing on the same pages a lot. How she couldn't read their minds; how she couldn't stand their stubbornness, how she loved them despite all that…

But still, Minako was different, way different. The first time she saw her, something in her eyes made Rei want to protect her. It was instinctive; it was fated, although Rei never believed in such things.

Right, she never did until now. Just when everything was going fine, her past life had to come in and roar its big ugly head.

But if she thought critically about it, which she admit it's not one of her strong points but something she had done a lot over the past few weeks, the senshi's meeting, their experiences, and their bond were all, to some extent, molded according to the past life. It was disconcerting for her to realize this fact, and sometimes she began to doubt their friendship as well. But what's different between this and her feelings for the idol was that the senshi's bond had stood against many difficult tests. And then there was also Dark Mercury.

If she were to figure out whether those feelings were _hers_ rather than her past's, she would have to follow the example of the senshi's. She would have to try it out for a time. All of that came down to one thing:

She would have to spend more time with her.

At least that's what her conscience told her. On the subconscious level, however, she didn't know and didn't want to know.

Realizing how much thinking she was doing, she thought quickly of how to explain her long period of silence. With great difficulty she brought her attention back on Minako, whom she presumed had been speaking all this time. But her eyes focused on nothing but racks of clothing. She grew nervous, and turned instinctively in the direction of the cashier. As she had feared, there the idol stood, watching the clerk rap up a piece of article absently, though by habit her eyes shown with great interest to the untrained eye. The clerk, cautiously smoothing each corner and thus taking twice as long with his job, occasionally dared to glance up with a tomato-colored face and each time turned a shade redder so by the time he handed Minako her purchase, his cheeks were on the verge of becoming dark purple.

Rei opened her mouth to protest, but held her tongue, noting the presence of another person beside Minako. The newcomer, who Rei presumed had come in while she was spacing out, whispered something urgently in the idol's ear and received a nod in agreement. Rei straightened herself and met Yuki coldly in the eye. A sudden strange thought had occurred to her, and she was determined to hide any trace of disagreement with the idol in front of Yuki.

"What's the matter?" she asked instead, though only addressing Minako.

"Trouble on the way, Rei-san," Yuki answered. "It seems that Takae boy called the reporters."

Rei frowned, but still facing away from the bodyguard. "What?"

"Just change out of that stained top, Rei," Minako put in timely and handed her the new sweater. Rei secretly praised the idol's sense of style. "Lucky for us they don't know exactly where we are. But let's get out of this area as soon as possible."

Rei hugged the sweater close to her body and stepped into the change room hesitantly, pulling close the cover behind her. Taking one last look down at the sweater, she slowly began to peel off the wet shirt from her body. The spilled coffee had cooled by now, leaving behind only a patch of cold skin. Shivering, she rubbed her abdomen with her hands to give it some warmth.

There was a rustle, and Rei felt a light breeze entering the change room.

"Minako!" she screamed in a whisper, scrambling for something to cover herself. "What are you doing!?"

The idol had entered, half-expecting Rei to be finished dressing already. After all, how long does it take to put on a sweater? But secretly, another part of her hoped to catch Rei…

"Sorry, I didn't expect…" Minako began to explain, but decided better not to.

Something came over Rei and she began talking loudly. "Why, you mean that I would be standing here all dressed and have nothing better to do than admire my reflection?"

"I…" Minako couldn't think of a better excuse. She wasn't even sure what made her come in.

"Oh, I see. You think I need assistance to take off that shirt that's making me feel—"

"Rei, are you mad at me?"

"like a…What? Me? I'm not mad at anyone."

"Then why are you acting like a…a…oh, I don't know. You're not yourself."

"I'm not? How do you know if you…" Suddenly, her tone softened. "I…I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to me. It's just that I…"

"Don't like taking advantage of other people." Minako finished the hanging sentence while Rei was still choosing the correct words. "You're upset 'cuz I bought that sweater for you, right?"

"…don't really like to—" Rei stopped, looking at the idol in bewilderment. "What did you just say?"

Minako laughed. The sound was so refreshing, so rare that it nearly made Rei doubt if she was hearing things. Has it already been six years since she last heard a light, carefree sound pass by the idol's lips?

"Seriously Rei, can't you loosen up a bit?" Minako continued. "But I never said I'd buy it for you. I'm merely lending the money. You'd have to pay me back later, plus 12% interest."

"Wha—! You want what?"

"Doesn't that make you feel much better?" Minako teased.

"Does it if I told you you should have been a banker instead?"

"You know math is not my thing."

"Well then, I wouldn't need to worry about you calculating the interest, would I?"

Minako put a finger on her chin and narrowed her eyes playfully. "No, I suppose you wouldn't. But there is one thing you should." Here she paused, and a sudden glow appeared in her eyes, which slightly unsettled Rei. Before she could react, the idol had moved behind her, her arms slipped around the priestess' waist and tightened, causing the latter to collide into a warm embrace. The texture of Minako's sweater tickled Rei's naked back, reminding her how little she was wearing on her upper body. Then the pair of hands planted against her abdomen slid up, gently rubbing against her sensitive skin while unlocking all of her deepest desires to return the gestures.

Rei shut her eyes hard and bit her lips in frustration. Something alien to her was stirring from within, pleading, begging, commanding her body to respond to her heating cravings. She knew she had to break away while she had her whims about her, before she looses control. But as Minako's delicate hand roamed further up her body to just under her breasts, Rei felt her body responding in its own way. Her breathing became uneven; her chest heaved more and more in anticipation; and her heartbeat, oh god! It was about to pound a hole through her chest. Her hands automatically clutched the new sweater tighter in her arms and her fingers dug into the material.

But Minako had other plans. Unexpectedly her hands left the warm body and instead snatched the sweater away from Rei's grip, her arms still rapped around Rei's upper body. Grinning inwardly, Minako must say that she felt very, very satisfied, although she did think about going further. If they were in somewhere more private, she wouldn't have hesitated in doing so. But it just so happens that there are also a pack of dogs hunting for every possible piece of information on her. Just imagine the fuss they'll make if Minako got caught on camera like _this_.

So she decided against it.. Instead, she stepped on tiptoe and gently pulled the sweater over Rei's head without much protest from the latter, who was still too shocked to react. Finally, she let go of her companion, now fully dressed, and a smile blossomed across her slightly flushed face.

"It seems that you did need some assistance changing," Minako said at last, though she heard her voice shaking as well in the aftermath. They stood facing each other in a prolonged awkward silence, the distance between them again widened.

Rei was absolutely furious with herself. The innocent smile on Minako's face mocked her, as if asking "why is your face so red, Rei-chan?" or "why are you trembling all over?" She felt certain that on the inside the other woman was laughing at her stupidity.

Suddenly, there was a plethora of footsteps in the store, as if a large crowd had just entered all at once.

"Aino-san! Aino-san!" Yuki's desperate yells reached them. A large commotion was gathering momentum outside. Minako and Rei shared a helpless look, both fully aware of what had finally dawned upon them.

"Alright, on the count of three, we'll make a dash for the back doors," Minako whispered. "Do you know where they are?"

Rei shook her head, "It doesn't matter. I'll just follow you."

"We have to be quick. If those reporters know anything, it's how to click the shutter at the right time."

"But wouldn't we get caught on camera if we just run out like this?"

"No. Yuki will cover for us, but only for a short time. Alright, ready? One…two…"

The last number never made it out of Minako's lips. She simply grabbed Rei's wrist and ran.

"It's them! It's them!" Hundreds of voices tagged behind them, but one thing was for certain: they saw no camera flashes.

Some quick reporters flung their cameras across their shoulders and rushed after the idol and her companion, leaving behind the rest to complain—something else that they are really good at—to the only other customer in the store.

"What's the big idea? You called us, you led us here, and now you just helped them get away? Whose side are you on, anyways?"

Rounds of questions were thrown at her, but Yuki merely grinned to herself.

"If you really want to know," she replied indifferently, "Aino-san was being too slow in the change room, and you're the best way to get her out."

---------------------------

"Ahh…" Usagi exhaled loudly as her feet were relieved of her weight for the first time in four hours. "That was exhausting. Ami-chan, why don't you sit too? How can you still walk around when we've been doing that for hours?"

"I just don't understand," Ami murmured to herself, keeping her eyes on the grass as she walked in small circles in front of the bench Usagi was sitting on.

"Yeah, me neither. What exactly are we looking for?"

But Ami ignored her friend's question. "We should have at least gotten some lead on where the crystal is by now, but there is nothing! Absolutely nothing! All the places that returned positive results turned to be all negative today. This is hardly possible."

"Maybe we should run your program again tonight and see what we get," Usagi suggested. "Anyhow, let's go back to the Crown. I'm kinda tired. And it's such a beautiful day too. I hope at least Rei-chan and Minako-chan are having fun."

At the mention of her friends, Ami looked up from her musings and she too briefly wondered what they might be doing at the moment.

-----------------------------

"Minako! Hey stop. That hurts! Mina—"

"Sshhh!"

The idol came to an abrupt stop at a corner, and with her right hand still gripping Rei's wrist with surprising strength, put the other lightly on her lips. Meanwhile Rei was visibly exhausted from the extraneous running, bent over so low that her waist almost snapped in half.

_I guess running back and forth on stage really does increase her stamina._

But Rei decided to keep quiet. Scanning the busy street in front of them, she was relieved to find it lacking people in a certain profession. If she could have one wish at the moment, it'll be to send a pleasant _Youma Taisan _down each and every one of those reporter's throat. Then her attention shifted to Minako, the always shining, energetic, and angelic singer whose stunning voice always somehow manages to touch Rei's soul. In her unique way, Minako's every movement, every word stirs unimaginable heat in…

_Hold that thought! _Since when did she start to think that way about her friend?

_Are you sure about your one wish?_ a treacherous little voice spoke in the back of her mind. _Won't you prefer holding her, kissing her, touching her, making her yours eve…_

"There she comes!" Minako leaned in towards Rei and whispered emphatically. "You see her, that woman with dark green hair?"

"Yes!" Rei replied, relieved that she had been provided a distraction from her out-of-place train of thoughts, when she immediately covered her mouth as she noticed just how overly enthusiastically she must have said it. She looked towards her friend, who was highly engrossed in the passing woman but nevertheless threw her a asking look. Rei gulped helplessly.

"Do you know her?"

"Me? No, not at all!" she answered nervously. Then she regarded the stranger once more. "But there is something familiar about her…I feel like I've seen her just recently. Maybe she was one of those reporters in the shop?"

Minako didn't reply and for a while she seemed to be absorbed in something interesting on the mysterious woman. When she finally walked out of sight, the idol mused, "Yes, I'm sure it's him. It's definitely him."

"Him? Who?"

"Artemis," Minako stated with confidence.

Rei almost stumbled backwards. "Artemis?! Don't tell me he can…" _-transform into a woman? _

"You didn't notice? That woman was carrying him in her arm! Were we looking at the same person?"

"Was she?" Rei tried to picture the green-haired stranger in her mind. True, she did see something white and fluffy under the woman's left arm, but to conclude that that's Artemis?

"Are you sure about that Minako? There have been a lot of Artemis-resembling plush toys on the market. Every one of your fans probably has _at least_ one."

"Please Rei, I've lived with him forever! I would recognize him even with his white fur all gone."

"Alright, alright," Rei sighed. "You dragged me all this way just to spy on that woman and her stuffed toy." The idol threw her a look. "Okay fine, _your _Artemis. So now what?"

There was a long awkward pause. Minako stared at her feet absently and let out a helpless sigh, "I don't know."

Rei felt an indescribable pain in her chest. As simple as they could be, as quiet as they were said, those three words just didn't sound like the hard-headed senshi leader she knew. It surprised her that the idol was letting her weak side show.

Suddenly Minako's legs gave away and she sank down to her knees, hands desperately covering her face.

"Hey Minako! What's wrong?"

The idol shook her head furiously. "I don't know! I don't know anything! I don't!"

"Minako…don't cry," Rei dropped down next to her friend. She wasn't used to dealing with crying, and the sight always makes her go numb. "You know a lot of things. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're our leader, after all."

"Leader?" the sobbing woman whispered. "Am I? I don't even know myself; I don't even know who you are anymore."

"I'm me! your hot-headed and stubborn teammate and friend. I'm Rei!"

"Rei? Mars?"

"Yes, I'm Sailor Mars too! What's wrong with you Minako? You're scaring me!"

A new haze crossed Minako's eyes and her eyes widened in happiness. More tears streamed down her face but she never took notice. Despite their distance, the idol dived into the other's arms, her fingers gripping Rei's shoulders with death-like strength.

"Mars!"

"Wait…Mina…"

But Minako didn't hear the hesitation and fear in Rei's voice. She only snuggled deeper into the embrace and rapped her arms around Rei's neck.

"Do you hate me, Reiko?"

"Me? No, I would never."

"Then why did you leave me alone like this? Why, Reiko? It hurts, you know?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Rei found her voice surprisingly soft. "I only wanted you to be happy."

"Don't leave me." came a quiet but desperate voice.

A warm sensation spread across Rei's heart, although she had no clue what they were just talking about. The words just came out naturally and without second thoughts, as if she had been dying to say them for thousands of years.

Instinctively Rei gently pushed Minako away from her shoulder just enough so they could see each other's eyes. She smiled ruefully yet reassuringly.

"I won't leave you again. I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice."

Then slowly she leaned forward, dying to capture those moist lips again. She felt the other woman's grip on her tightened in anticipation. Leaving all worries behind, Rei closed the final distance that had separated them for millennia.

In a close-by clock tower, the mysterious woman they saw before watched the whole scene in silence. A white plush toy poked his head out under her arms. If not for the tight grasp the woman had on him, he would have jumped in front of Rei long ago.

"It's starting," the woman said.

Sighing in response, Artemis could only rub his paws together in worry.

_Minako…_

To be continued…

---------------------


	15. Returning

AN: To clarify, Ami/Mako, or the lack of, mainly serves as juxtaposition for Rei/Mina. Somehow I hate the concept of two people falling in love ONLY because of their past lives. My main goal is to show that not only do ReiMina share a past, but they fall in love with the other person for who they are in the present.

This is seriously outside my comfort zone, so I hope it turned out ok.

--

_Shit. Shit. Shit!_

Rain started falling long ago but Rei barely took notice of it. Nothing could distract her from her nightmare. It finally happened; now everything's totally screwed up.

She stopped on the sidewalk and spread her arms, hoping the coldness of the rain could put some logic back in her. An hour has passed since Mars had finally taken over her body; that's one hour since her rationality had abandoned her.

_What am I supposed to do? What can I do? This is all so messed up._

The sound of water splashing nearby told her that there was another person coming her way. Raising her head, Rei froze at the sight.

Ami…her quivering mouth…her flushed cheeks…her fearful and confused eyes…running in the rain…

"Ami-chan." Rei walked over to the smaller woman. Under the present circumstances, they must have looked like mirror images of one another. "Don't tell me…"

"Rei-chan! No wayy…" she trailed off, but there was no reason to continue.

Both women simultaneously looked away awkwardly, embarrassed that someone else had caught them in such a pitiful state, though enjoying the other's presence all the same. It didn't push away any of their problems, but strangely they felt better just with the knowledge that they were not alone.

"What in the world is going on?" Rei muttered more to herself.

"I don't know."

The words hit Rei and she wanted to smile. Under any circumstance she would find those three words coming out of someone who was so dedicated to find every truth on the planet very amusing indeed. That's what she believed anyways. So she tried to smile, and failed horribly.

"I do." A familiar shadow stepped in front of them confidently, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles turned pale.

"Motoki-kun!" Ami exclaimed in surprise and automatically stepped backwards, but not quick enough to avoid the sudden punch on her stomach.

"Ami-chan!" Rei rushed over to her friend, her eyes burning with anger. "Motoki, what are you doing?"

Motoki ignored her question, his attention fixed solely on the woman he had knocked against the brick wall. Blood started to tickle down Ami's neck from an unseen cut on the back of her head, and she winced in pain as Rei tried her best to clean the wound. But Motoki rudely brushed Rei aside with one hand and effortlessly lifted his prey with the other, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Motoki!" Rei hissed dangerously. "Don't you dare hurt her!"

Motoki, seemingly impressed by this display of boldness, dropped Ami back on the muddy pavement and turned to face Rei, the twinkle in his eyes dancing in amusement.

"Ohh? And what if I do? What can you do in a state like this, _Mars-sama_?" His voice dripped of…something, something definitely not Motoki-like. It was hard to define, and Rei didn't like it one bit. But it was his way of addressing her that caught Rei completely off guard.

"What? What did you say?"

Motoki threw his head back in laughter. Each sound that escaped his lips made Rei quiver, though she stood firm on the surface.

"You didn't know? And here I thought you've regained all of your memories," he threw a dangerous look towards Ami.

"You…were part of Silver Millennium?"

"Preciously. But I'm done playing subordinate to that abominable princess and all you senshi. And you," he turned towards Ami once more, his eyes narrowing in hatred, "It's time we settle this thing between us. Don't you think so, Mercury-sama?"

Ami bit her lips in frustration. Her instincts told her to transform, to fight back, but all she could do was slowly move along the wall despite the pain that's building in her legs. She built up courage to look Motoki straight in the eye and found him rather enjoying her powerless state. He stepped closer, deliberating taking his time to make her as miserable as possible, and clenched his fist once more.

"Motoki!"

Despite his display of annoyance that someone had ruined his fun, Motoki dropped his fist, and giving Ami one last glare, spun around to face the speaker.

"Our job was to capture the senshi unharmed Motoki, not shred them into pieces the first chance we get."

Motoki sneered. "Look who's talking. You don't look like you want to kill poor Rei-chan at all," he said sarcastically.

"I don't," the other stated simply. "As I remember, Hino-san and Mizuno-san are _both _under the jurisdiction of the Chief. You're not going back on your word, are you?"

He grunted, "And I hope you won't take back your word either." Sweeping around determinedly, he swept past the other person, keeping a fair distance but still managed to bump hard against her shoulder.

_What the hell is going on?_

Rei rushed to help Ami on her feet, while trying her best to straighten things out in her head. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? That woman couldn't be…

"Yuki-san," Ami panted and leaned on Rei for support. "Thank you." But she found herself talking to an empty street.

There was a tickling feeling, and it took Rei a while to differentiate Ami's shivering from her cell phone's vibration. Her first instinct was to reject the call, but looking closer at the caller ID, her heart actually sank. What was this disappointment all of the sudden? She shut her eyes and tried to fight down the frustration. It wasn't a question she wanted to answer anytime soon.

_Who am I kidding? There's no way she would…after what happened—ah what am I saying! I wasn't waiting for her call!_

Frustrated, Rei threw her anger at the unfortunate caller. "Hello!"

"Rei! Can you hear me?" Makoto's desperate yells came through the line. "They—you've got to hurry—Venus—"

"Where are you?" Rei asked. She was surprised to find her own voice unnaturally calm.

"At the shopping mall near Usagi's place, you know, where that Svetu guy first—"

Rei snapped the phone shut without even waiting for the other woman to finish. Her blood had literally started boiling and her mind began to formulate its own conclusions of what Makoto had left unsaid, or rather what Rei had not listened. The images brought back times Rei wished she had forgotten, and she involuntarily shivered. This wasn't the time to be thinking of unnecessary things, the more or less rational side of her kept on reminding.

Rei made an attempt to move but felt something heavy leaning against her. Immediately her mind sprang back to reality and she held her friend tighter in her arms. "Ami-chan, hang on. Where's the nearest hospital?"

"No Rei-chan, don't worry about me," Ami surprisingly pushed Rei away from her. "I…I just remembered something. Rei-chan, you've got to find Luna."

All Ami received was a look of completely confusion.

"Trust me, Rei-chan."

--

"Usagi."

"Yeah?" Usagi looked over to her husband from the passenger seat lazily. All that walking around had made her pretty tired, and it didn't help that they found absolutely nothing. But after meeting up with Luna and Makoto, who were as unlucky, there were other things on her mind.

"It's raining pretty hard, and neither Ami-chan nor Mako-chan has an umbrella. Are you sure that it's okay that we left them in the Crown?"

"Uhuh. Why not?"

"Well, it might be me, but it seemed pretty awkward back there."

"That's why they should work out whatever's between them, right?" Usagi said with a trace of doubt. Luna made a small noise from her position on Usagi's lap, sounding unconvinced.

Mamoru was silent for a moment. "Are you sure that this is the best way?" he asked quietly at last.

"I dunno. It's Ami-chan's idea after all. I trust her better than myself when it comes to matters like this—ah, sorry Mamo-chan." Usagi pulled out her vibrating cell phone and her face immediately brightened. "It's Rei-chan! Hello? Rei-chan? I've been waiting for your call all day! So did Minako-chan enjoy herself? Where is she anyways? Never mind that, what did you guys do today? Tell me tell me—huh? Rei-chan, say that again? I didn't catch it."

Usagi could hear some ruffling on the other side of the phone. Frowning, she pressed her phone closer to her ears, hoping to catch the mumbling, only to have her ears nearly blown off.

"WHERE! IS! LUNA!!"

Even Mamoru flinched from the deafening noise that came out of his wife's cell phone. Luna jumped into the back seat for protection, hugging her ears close all the same. Did they just hear…Rei…scream? No, no that had to have been someone else. The Hino Rei they knew never lost her composure. Baffled, they looked over to Usagi, who has just built up enough courage to venture to pick up her phone which she had thrown out of her hands in shock.

"Uh, Luna?" Usagi asked, though keeping her phone at a safe distance from her ears. "S-she's with me. Why do you ask?"

The only reply she received was a string of incomprehensible curses.

"Um Rei-chan, where are you right now?" Usagi began to worry. "What's going on?"

"Where am I? I don't even know where!"

Before Usagi could pry further, her phone beeped in response. The line was already disconnected.

There was absolute silence in the car. Everyone dealt with their surprises differently. Still dazed, Usagi whispered, "The only two people who can drive her to this state are his father and Minako-chan." Then suddenly she grabbed her husband's arm. "What if Minako-chan had an accident and died?!"

"Usagi!?" Mamoru didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Rei-chan wouldn't be looking for Luna if that were the case. And please don't do that while I'm driving."

"Oh right. Sorry."

Mamoru shook his head, but gave her a small pat on the head nonetheless to tell her that he wasn't angry. In the time it took him to look over and back, something changed, though at first he couldn't quite place a finger on it. Then, out of nowhere, two shadows appeared on the street, unmoving and unyielding.

"Mamo-chan! Look out!!"

Usagi's scream didn't reach his ears. His instincts kicked in, and what happened next was a blur. All he knew that he and his passenger were alive.

--

_Damn it!_ Rei bit her lower lip hard. Why did these things always happen to her? Last time on the plane she bumped into Minako, and now a crazy driver almost ran her over.

"Rei-chan?"

Usagi quickly got out of the car and rushed over to help Rei on her feet, but froze in her tracks when her eyes reached Ami. "Ami…chan?"

The woman in question quickly looked away, trying her best to hide the blood streaks on her face.

"What happened? Rei-chan? Ami-chan?"

Rei sighed. "Sorry Usagi. Take Ami-chan to a hospital, will you?"

"Where are you going?"

Rei didn't turn around, only waving her hand several times to tell them not to follow. Under the heavy rain drops, her running form was quickly consumed by the shadows.

"Oi," Mamoru stepped out from his car wearing a strange expression. "We were going home, right? How did we suddenly end up in Juuban?"

--

Priestesses were religious figures, and their powers sacred. That's why Rei kept a fine line between her job and life, her powers never going outside of the shrine. It's not that she didn't love her job or that she was ashamed of it, but dealing with all the people who merely want more luck or spiritual guidance was nothing less than a bother. It's even a disgrace to the gods should she use the sacred abilities for mundane purposes.

But screw the rules. Hadn't she already changed for her friends? Hadn't she said that she didn't need anybody, that she preferred working alone? So why was she having doubts now? She was protecting her friend from a pack of armed superhuman claiming to be from thousands of years ago, for God's sake.

_Or are you hesitating precisely because it's her?_

A strange thought suddenly occurred to her. Without knowing why, Rei easily identified the speaker.

_No, you, don't come out now. You'll only make things more complicated._

But her past-self ignored her. _Are you afraid that you're doing too much for her?_

Rei concentrated on her spell and her trained mind naturally blocked out that little voice that was probably raising valid points. She could care less about that. As long as she kept up the fire wall, she and Minako were safe. Rei pressed her index and middle fingers together in front of her forehead, causing the flames around her to immediately increase in intensity. She could still feel the enemy attacking her defense with their powers, but it appears that they weren't making visible progress, which was good. Her lips silently repeated the spell, but a close observer could see a slight quivering that came with every word. Perhaps this was the limit of her priestess powers.

A hand softly brushed by her forehead and removed the sweat that Rei wasn't aware of. Her eyes snapped open and caught a pair of concerned eyes staring unwaveringly into her own. It was an unnecessary distraction really, but Rei continued to look into them. She never knew Minako's eyes were so deep and expressive, but to be fair she never really dared to look openly into them, fearing what she would find but more so what her own ones might betray. Now that she saw them was hard to tear herself away. So much was communicated through their eyes alone: concern, hope, trust. But if she didn't start concentrating her spell would be affected.

Apparently Minako caught on that thought as well and quickly looked away with a small blush.

"Rei, how much longer can you hold up?"

Rei blinked. "Wait, I'm not—"

Minako shook her head. "Don't lie. I know you're forcing yourself."

"I'll manage," Rei lied stubbornly.

"Listen," Minako said after a short pause. "While the enemy doesn't know you're at your limit, we should make a deal with them."

"What are you suggesting?"

Minako took a deep breath. "Obviously they don't intend to kill us. All they want is to make us see this so-called Lord. They've already got Makoto, so if I offer to go with them—"

"In exchange for me and Makoto to go free," Rei finished for her. "That won't happen. I'd rather if I went with them. And this has nothing to do with who's the leader."

"Rei! Don't be unreasonable! I'm the one to go. You, Ami-chan, Makoto, all of you have the ability to protect Usagi. I'm the only useless one without my senshi powers."

"That's exactly why you shouldn't go! Damn it, why don't you ever listen to me? If I go at least I have methods to protect myself. You should stay with the team."

"Rei, this is an order!"

"And as the leader you're job at a time like this is to unite us, not go off on your own!" Rei countered.

"But—"

"Shut up! I won't let you exchange your safety for anyone else's, you got that? Not even for the Princess!"

Minako winced. There was something in that sentence that sounded both tempting and not right. But before she could dwell on it, the flames in front of her suddenly vanished. She looked back at Rei, who kept up her sitting position but was visibly drained. Great, so much for her plan.

"Well well, I must congratulate you for your efforts," Svetu said, stepping past the line of fire that had previously protected them. "For a second I almost thought about giving up. Very impressive, indeed." Clearly he was addressing Rei, though with every step he was steadily coming closer to Minako. His gaze rested on her, and the sinister flares bouncing out of his eyes spoke for his intent.

Minako pressed her lips together firmly. She's always despised being helpless. But if she went for his legs at the right time, there might be a slight chance. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Minako watched his movements carefully, waiting for the moment he is within range.

Right. Left. Right.

Suddenly a strange but piercing sound filled the air, making everyone cover their ears in pain. A shadow leapt out from above, and in a swift swing knocked down the two men holding Makoto. It then turned around to help Minako, but Svetu had recovered from his initial shock and drew his sword to attack. The two weapons clashed with such force that it knocked both fighters backwards.

"Are you out of your mind?" Svetu demanded of his opponent as soon as he caught his balance.

"My mind is quite clear, thank you." Yuki's voice had acquired a new edge that Rei couldn't define, but somehow it sounded very familiar.

Svetu narrowed his eyes, his voice bordering on desperation. "Why do you always have to choose the hard way?" He paused, then, taking a giant step and seizing Minako by her collar, rested the blade of his sword on her bare neck. "Come back with me, Yuki, and—"

"There won't be that possibility!"

"Yuki!" Rei hissed, looking at the sharp blade nervously. "Don't provoke him!"

Yuki tilted her head slightly towards her, and Rei saw a small trace of confidence tugging her lips.

"Relax, Rei-san. Mizuno-san's got Luna already. Help's on the way."

Almost as soon as the last word left Yuki's mouth, Rei sensed a quick movement behind her. Then came three words that none of them dreamed of hearing ever again.

"Mercury Aqua Mist!"

The column of water reached the enemy's side quicker than the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, it had completely obliterated Svetu's sword, leaving the man to grasp his hand in pain.

Everyone turned speechless to face the woman now clad in a blue sailor fuku, her white-gloved hands formed the symbol of Mercury. Behind her trailed Usagi and Mamoru, looking equally stunned.

"You-you're kidding, right?" Usagi blinked incredulously.

Ami, no, Sailor Mercury only smiled reassuring at her friends, all of her wounds no where in sight. Then she said in that calm but determined voice, "Luna, you know what to do."

The cat guardian walked out from behind the senshi in her human form. Sighing and taking one last look over herself, she reluctantly agreed, "Yeah, but I'm going to miss this human body."

She closed her eyes and forced her body to return to the cat form, the shining substance that usually accompanied the change didn't simply vanish into thin air this time. Instead, it started to coalesce into a small piece of crystal.

The rest of the senshi felt a long-absent surge of energy began to stir. A familiar feeling was calling out to them, beckoning them to take back their powers.

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

Rei hesitated. What did it mean to transform now? Would she still be Hino Rei?

She felt the looks of her friends on her; everyone was waiting.

_Damn it, this isn't the time to hold back._

"Mars Power!"

Biting her lower lip, Rei swore she would keep her past self in control no matter what.

--

From an office building close by, two pairs of eyes watched intensely the battle scene under them. One of the observers was seated comfortably in an office chair, her eyes objective yet still holding a certain amount of pride. The other was bound by all fours to the armrest.

"Man, Pluto, let me go already!" Artemis struggled against the tight bindings of the rope.

The woman smiled, "Well, if you didn't try to sneak out to help Venus earlier, I wouldn't have the heart to tie you up."

"Says the person who manipulated space to teleport a car!" Artemis retorted. "I don't know who's helping them more."

"That was a special circumstance. It was out of their capability to reach Luna in time," she replied evenly with a sly smile. "Besides, no one said I couldn't bend the rules slightly."

Seeing that the white guardian didn't respond, Pluto turned her attention back to the battle. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the rainbow colors coming together, a sign of the senshi's Sailor Planet Attack. But the colors soon faded into darkness, and she leaned back with some expected disappointment.

"The attack failed. As expected, they still have a long way to go."

"It's a good start, isn't it?" Artemis put in encouragingly.

Pluto smiled, "Indeed. Well, it's about time that I go play my part." She stood up, and with a swing of her staff, vanished from the office.

"Hey wait—man, she could have at least untied me before you go," Artemis sighed.

--

"I can't believe that it didn't work," Makoto sighed, twirling with the straw in her drink.

Beside her, Minako looked down at her hands. "I don't get it either. We did it so many times before."

"Something definitely went wrong."

Rei rolled her eyes, "Thanks Luna. We didn't realize that before."

"Maybe it's because we haven't used those powers for so long?" Ami analyzed. "Perhaps if we give it another try?"

"What if the crystal piece is too weak?" Minako suggested. "We may need the whole Ginzuishou."

"More importantly, what I don't understand is why the enemy retreated when obviously we couldn't do anything to them," Luna added to their list of unsolved enigmas.

"Ah! I got it!"

The four of them spun around on their chairs, looking hopefully at their princess.

"This will make the perfect necklace!" Usagi exclaimed excitedly, holding up the small crystal piece that had previously been inside Luna.

"Usagi!" her friends protested.

"Man, can you please be at least of a little help?" Luna chided. "We still have a lot of problems unsolved."

"Hmm, you mean like why our attack didn't work?"

Rei rubbed her temples. "That's one of them."

Surprisingly, Usagi skipped down the steps of the karaoke stage and popped into her designated seat around the round table with an air of superiority.

"We got to the Crown an hour ago and you're still on _that_?" she shook her head in disappointment. "Com'on, we have more serious problems like how to save Motoki-kun and figuring out who our enemies are."

"Well, Tsukino Usagi-sama, if _that_ is such a simple problem, why don't you enlighten us?" Rei countered, sarcasm hanging on every word.

"You're all over thinking it! This has nothing to do with the crystal or how long we haven't used our powers," Usagi stated, proving that she was indeed paying attention to their conversation. "Ami-chan, Rei-chan, remember our first battle together against those three plant youmas? Mako-chan and Minako-chan, you've heard about this too right? Remember what was it that made us win? We had to be in sync with one another right? It's the same idea with Sailor Planet Attack. We have to be in sync as a team, our hearts have to be one. Today we were all over the place. Everyone was thinking different things so of course it couldn't have worked."

Usagi finished her speech and sipped her drink as if she just said the most obvious thing in the world.

"Usagi-chan," Ami started, "You really surprise us sometimes."

"That's because everyone always underestimates my intelligence."

"Don't let it get over your head, Usagi." Makoto gestured to the whole table. "We still beat you in IQ any day."

Usagi pouted, and everyone laughed, though various things still weighed on their minds.

"Wow, it good to know you guys still know how to laugh. These days you all look way, way too serious."

The four senshi shared a meaningful look, and Ami began.

"Usagi-chan, I-well, I think it's safe to say all four of us have been getting bits of memories back."

Usagi scratched her head dumbly. "What's wrong with that? I'd love to remember more of my past life too. I mean, apart from the moments I'm with Mamoru, I hardly remember anything at all."

"The problem is that we remembered things we don't want to…" Makoto trailed off, looking away.

Catching Usagi's puzzled look, Minako elaborated, "Like you and Mamoru-kun, each one of us also has someone who…with whom we share a past."She refrained from going further. Even Usagi would get the idea by now. Stealing a quick look at Rei and finding her satisfied with the explanation, the idol let out a breath. It's such a touchy topic, after all.

"Ohhh," Usagi nodded. Finally it all clicked for her. She looked at Rei, Minako, and Makoto, but her eyes rested on the young doctor. Ami was so awkward in her seat that Usagi couldn't hold back the temptation to crack a joke.

"Don't tell me—Ami-chan…you and Nephrite…"

"Usagi!" three of her friends were furious with her, the fourth too embarrassed to say anything.

"Okay, okay, it was only a joke! Take it easy, you guys." She fell silent. "But seriously, I don't see what the problem is. I mean…fine, it is a problem with Mako-chan and Ami-chan," she turned to face the other two, "but I don't see what you two are so worked up about. It's not like Rei-chan and Minako-chan had no chemistry before—okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"Yeah," Rei huffed, turning her head away to hide whatever that was on display on her face.

Minako observed her silently from the corner of her eye, though anyone would have said she was completely focused on Usagi. All these years of being in the spotlight have taught her how to appear to have her attention on one thing while totally setting her mind on other matters. It was an advantageous trait to have, but nonetheless she felt slightly guilty and embarrassed that while her friends were busy analyzing their enemies, she couldn't tear her brain away from Rei, even for a second. Everything that Minako said for the past hour was all meaningless in every sense of the word. Nothing really took a brain to say and got them closer to an answer. She only said them for the sake of keeping up her role as leader, but right now she had absolutely no interest in their discussion. Seriously, for Sailor Venus to slack off on the job, as unacceptable as it was, Minako couldn't deny it.

What was Rei thinking now? Her earlier words struck Minako vividly. Was that really Rei, or her past? For the record, Rei never referred to Usagi as Princess, so it was obviously Mars who spoke the name. But Mars would never speak in such a casual manner. Maybe it was a little of both?

Minako sighed on the inside. This time she really did it. She spaced out, during a senshi meeting nonetheless. Well, it's now or never.

"Everyone—I'm sorry, but would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?"

No need to explain the ambiguity of pronouns.

_To be continued…_

--

AN: Nothing written can express the degree of my guilt for putting this off for so long. Of course I have my own life to take care of, but this is really beyond my normal procrastination. Last time I even promised that I'm back on track. Well, if I'm a reader I would hate me. Enough said, allow me to redeem myself through my actions, and let my future updates be my words. But I'm not promising anything in the next week—I'm not that crazily fast, unlike certain people.

As for Luna, I admit I don't particularly like her to begin with, even in the anime. And the fact that she was also a senshi, and sometimes taking over Venus' part, just doesn't make me very happy. So I decided to put her back in her proper place, a cat. But she did come in handy for me, so I might have to thank the scriptwriter after all.

Sometimes, you may notice that if there's a stupid comment to be made and given that Usagi can't have the line, it will always belong to Luna. Just my little way to take a stab back at her.


End file.
